The Calm Effect of Hearts
by marvelchick1992
Summary: A girl's world in turned upside down when she helps Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier when someone is after him leaving him bleeding from a gunshot wound. Somehow this girl has a calming effect on his heart and they begin to fall in love with each other. Warnings: Torture, some gore
1. Ambushed Meeting

The Calm Effect of Hearts

_Friday night! Finally, another weekend to relax,_ I thought to myself as I locked the door to the puppy daycare I worked at and double checking to make sure no one could enter, turned to head to my car. I was the last to leave since I was the cleaner and I had just finished another long shift from vacuuming all the hair from the classroom, allowing me to return to my apartment and completely relax. I unlocked my car and got in, placing my purse in the passenger floorboard and closing the door before starting the engine. I was about to put the car in reverse when someone opened the passenger side door and clambered in, turning his or her full attention to me that someone being a man with shoulder length brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"Drive!" he told me in an urgent and pleading voice. I noticed then that he was bleeding from his shoulder from what looked like a gunshot wound and my jaw dropped open, panic setting in. Following my gaze, he placed his left hand, his metal hand over the wound and again demanded I drive.

"If you don't get us out of here right now, they'll kill both of us. Please, just drive. I can explain when we get somewhere safe. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," he told me, his blue eyes darkening. I nodded and put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot and headed to my apartment. He kept his attention on the roads, I guess checking to make sure we weren't being followed. Arriving at my apartment building I pulled in a less frequented parking garage residents used, parked in a spot, and helped him out of my car and walked over to the building I lived in. We entered and got in the elevator, rising to the fourth floor and to my apartment where I quickly got him inside.

"Go sit on the couch and I'll find something to clean that wound," I told him, after locking the door. He sat and I exited to my bathroom, looking for the first aid kit in the cabinet and grabbing a few towels and some tweezers, returned to him. Sterilizing the tweezers with alcohol, I tried to work the bullet out gently without causing any more damage and placed a towel against the wound.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to a hospital? I'm not exactly qualified to do this," I asked, moving the towel and pouring some alcohol over the wound itself before placing a gauze pad to absorb the blood flowing out. I wrapped more gauze around his arm before taping everything in place. He just shook his head.

"Is there anyone you need me to call?" I asked him, disposing of the bloodied towels in the trash and going to rinse my hands off.

"I…don't know. I'm not sure I have anyone I can call," he answered me, pulling off his shirt, also disposing of it in the trash.

"Alright. What's your name?" I questioned while keeping my distance in the kitchen.

"Bucky. What's yours?" he replied, lying back on the couch, draping his bandaged arm off the back.

"Abigail. Are you sure I can't call anyone? Any place you can stay? Possibly…" I answered.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I didn't mean to ambush you back there but I didn't have any choice. I had to get away, to escape," he cut me off, turning his head to face me, hand held outstretched to me, his blue eyes soft. Cautiously, I walked over to him and placed my hand in his. He closed his hand over mine, giving it a gentle squeeze before releasing it and reaching in his jeans pocket to retrieve a flip phone.

"Steve. Call Steve," he told me, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. I opened the phone and clicked down to the name Steve and hit call, hoping whoever it was could really help.

A few hours later, a knock sounded at the door and I watched as Bucky sat up in a defensive position, chest heaving, panic etched across his face. I quickly went to his side, not touching him; afraid of what boundaries I was allowed to breach, before gently placing my right hand over his.

"Hey, try to relax. It's probably just your friend. Let me go see who it is. I'll be right back," I told him, before getting up and walking to the door. Looking through the peephole I saw a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes standing on the other side. He was wearing a gray t-shirt with brown khaki pants and a black leather jacket.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Steve Rogers. You called me earlier. I'm here about my friend," he answered. I slowly unlocked the door and opened it, immediately greeted by his sweet smile.

"I'm Abigail. It's a pleasure to meet you. He's in the living room. I think you scared him though," I greeted him, directing him to where Bucky was sitting on the couch, eyes still wide with panic.

"Hey Buck. It's Steve. I'm here to take you back to the tower. You'll be safe there. I promise," Steve greeted him. Bucky nodded but still didn't move. I walked over to him, gently placing both hands against his cheeks, the action causing him to shift his gaze over to mine.

"You're okay. You're fine. No one is here to hurt you. You're safe. Just breathe," I told him, holding his gaze until his eyes softened and his breathing became easier to him, his hands coming to rest on my arms. He gave a soft tug and pulled me closer to rest his head on my shoulder, his arms wrapped gently around my waist. I ran my hands through his hair, slowly until he released me and got off the couch to join Steve by the door.

"Go wait in the car with Natasha. I'll be down shortly," Steve told him, handing Bucky a shirt, and watched him until he disappeared from sight.

"You might want someone to look at that wound. I might have cleaned it and wrapped it but I'm not a nurse or a doctor. I wouldn't want it getting infected or anything," I told Steve. He nodded and released a sigh.

"He didn't hurt you did he? I didn't know he would go to a civilian. He seemed to calm down around you. Or maybe you just have a calming affect on people. I could call you if we need you for something like this again if that's okay?" he commented.

"No, he didn't hurt me. He just startled me. And yes, you can call me if you need me. I'll give you my number to reach me if need be," I replied, before grabbing an index card from my desk and writing down my number to give to Steve. He pocketed it before turning to the door and leaving me alone in my apartment. I closed the door, locked it and turned out the lights before retreating to my bedroom. I stripped all of my clothing off and headed to the bathroom for a shower, rinsing off the rest of the sweat and grime off of my body. Once finished with the shower, I slipped on a nightshirt and crawled into my bed, drifting off to my own dreamland. This was only the beginning of the relationship with the people I would come to know as the Avengers as well as Bucky himself.


	2. Calming Effect and New Friends

Working late on a Friday night was a normal routine for me, vacuuming up dog hair off the classroom floor until it was spotless. What made it last until almost nine o'clock was the mopping of the floor, scrubbing up the crushed treats dropped during the Monday to Thursday classes.

Working late wasn't the problem. It was the sense of paranoia that I'd get robbed or possibly kidnapped that came after; also the fact that it was every Friday that I had to work late. There were no classes, which was ideal but it was the fact that I had to help my coworker the entire day, well at least until the last dog was picked up. Then there was the extra work I had to do before vacuuming and mopping and the exhaustion that I felt once I got home. The months with daylight savings time weren't as bad since there was still some daylight when I was done and had to lock up before heading to my car. The winter months, however, were a little scary.

Tonight was no different after I finished up and began my walk back to the groom room to put back the vacuum but as I opened the door to the daycare, a familiar face greeted me with a smile.

"Steve? What are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you of course." I greeted him, putting down the vacuum and closing the door behind me.

"I came to pick you up so I could bring you to the tower. I wanted to test a theory and also grab some dinner on the way over. I'd thought you'd be at your apartment by now but it seems you're still here. Do you always work this late?" he answered me, walking towards me and grabbing the vacuum, picking it up with ease. I pointed to the groom room and he followed me to the door.

"Only on Fridays. I have to vacuum and sometimes I also have to mop. It takes about an hour to vacuum which why it's a little late by the time I leave. Mopping doesn't take as long but I do have to set the classroom back up for classes on Monday. On Fridays there are no classes, making it easier to keep it fresh before classes resume during the week," I told him, unlocking the groom room and opening the door to let Steve step inside. I showed him where to place the vacuum after turning on the lights. After turning them back off, we exited the room, locking it before returning next door to retrieve my things and leave.

"You don't go out on Friday nights? No plans at all?' Steve asked once I locked the daycare up.

"Not usually unless it's a late movie or something. Whenever classes end, I don't have to work so late, so I could make plans to see friends but a lot of them aren't available most days. I usually just tend to grab dinner, go home and curl up with a book or watch a movie," I answered, unlocking my car, placing my purse inside.

"I see. Actually, Natasha is with me and I've asked her to take your car back to your apartment. I want you to ride with me to the tower," he informed me. I watched as a pretty redhead got out the passenger side of the car Steve had arrived in and offered a smile before grabbing my purse. She held her hand out for my keys and I gave them to her before joining Steve at his car. I got in and we both pulled out of the parking lot.

"So what's this theory you're testing?" I asked as we drove down the highway on the way to grab dinner.

"The other night when you called me to help Bucky, I noticed you seemed to completely calm him. I've never seen anyone handle a panic attack like you did. You're not an empath are you? Gifted with anything related to emotions?" he answered me.

"No, I don't think so. I have a friend who has anxiety though. One night she had an attack that hit her pretty hard and I just happened to be there, but she's not the type of person that would let you touch her. She would rather for someone to just be there for her and just talk to her until she calms down. Bucky seemed okay with the physical touch though. I did ask permission fist before I laid my hands on him just in case he didn't want me to touch him," I replied, replaying the event in my mind.

"Hmmm. Maybe you have a calm effect around people. Even riding with you now it seems you give off a calm energy. I feel relaxed around you and I don't really know you all that well. It's nice. Anyway, I wanted to see how well you could handle nightmares. Bucky has them a lot and I get the sense that you could comfort him while he's having them or maybe after he wakes up from one. Also everyone wants to meet you," he commented, turning into a drive-thru. We ordered our food and left the fast food restaurant and rode to a building I didn't recognize but I assumed it was the avengers tower. We got out and he led me to the entrance of the building, opening the door and we stepped inside. Taking the elevator up to the fifth floor, we got off and continued down a hallway.

"The main room is this way. Oh, hey Nat. This is Abigail, the girl whose car you just dropped off at her apartment. Abigail, this is Natasha," he told me, greeting the red head that I met earlier. She smiled and looked me over as if to make sure I wasn't a threat.

"Seems innocent enough. The others will probably like her. She's got that sweet personality that draws people in," Natasha stated, walking with us to the main room. We entered a giant room with three large couches and one smaller one as well as a huge flat screen TV mounted on the wall. A medium sized coffee table sat in front of one of the large couches. Behind the couches was an open concept kitchen and bar area. On one of the larger couches sat a three men; one with long blonde hair and blue eyes, one with black hair that had touches of gray and dark eyes, and one with dark skin, a neatly trimmed beard and dark brown eyes. On the couch on the left side of them sat a man with short dark brown hair, a goatee and dark brown eyes. Beside him sat Natasha. I looked towards the kitchen to see a girl with long brown hair and green eyes; a man with purple skin and blue eyes and on the counter sat a man with short light brown hair and blue eyes. In another corner of the room, I also noticed a man with shoulder length black hair and green eyes.

As we entered the room all of them looked up at me and I suddenly felt a little awkward, my face growing warm from the stares.

"Everybody this is Abigail, the woman I told you about a few nights ago. I thought she might offer some help tonight and since everyone was so eager to meet her, I thought I'd bring her over for tonight's activities," Steve introduced me. They all waved and soon returned to their own conversations. I sat down on the smaller couch and started eating. Halfway through my second taco, I noticed Steve ask one of the guys a question and jumped as a booming voice greeted me.

"Sorry to startle you. I am Thor and this is my good friend Banner. Welcome to the tower. I hope we can also become good friends as well. You're very pretty by the way," the blonde… and very muscular man greeted; the man with the black hair with touches of gray standing beside him.

"You can just call me Bruce. You know there's something different about you. You're so calm and I feel like I have nothing to worry about around you. Any special abilities we should know about?" the one Thor called Banner stated.

"No. I don't think so. It's nice to meet you. I'm sure we can all be great friends," I stated.

"Abigail? You're here? How…" A familiar voice called out. I turned to the other side of the couch to see Bucky standing there wearing a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans and white socks on his feet.

"Hi, Bucky. Steve brought me over. How have you been? It's wonderful to see you," I greeted him. He lingered for a moment before deciding to sit down beside me.

"I'm good, thanks. Are you staying over tonight? You don't have to of course but…" he replied.

"If you'd like me to, I'd be glad to stay here tonight," I answered, smiling and taking his right hand in mine. He smiled back and over the next few minutes, I got pulled into a conversation with those in the room. I found the names of Steve's friends and fellow Avengers, Wanda and Natasha becoming fast friends with me. I even received a smile from Thor's brother Loki. Hours passed and soon people began retiring to their rooms, Clint leaving to go home to his family.

Having told Steve, Tony, and Natasha good night, I followed Bucky to the spare room, which was next o his and wished him good night. He hugged me and then retired to his room. I closed my door and found a dresser that had spare pajamas and laid them out before jumping in the shower to rinse off sweat and grime from work. Getting out of the shower, I dried off and changed into the clothes before finding a book on the bookshelf next to the bed and settled in under the covers. While reading, I could feel my eyelids getting heavier and before I knew it, I drifted off into sleep.

About what felt like an hour later, I was woken up by screams coming from somebody's room. I shot out of bed and opened by door to find out who it was. The screams continued and I realized that they were coming from next door.

_Bucky_, I thought and quickly walked down to his room. I slowly opened the door and saw him tossing and turning in the bed, sheets tangling around his body as he screamed at whatever was tormenting him in his dreams. I sprinted over to him and knelt by the bed.

"Bucky! Hey, wake up! It's just a dream. Bucky, come on wake up! Please, just listen to my voice. Wake up!" I told him, not touching him yet. At once he shot up in his bed, breathing hard, sweat glistening on his chest and forehead.

"Bucky, may I turn on the light?" I asked him gently. He turned to face me and slowly nodded. I eased up and turned on the lamp on the nightstand to create dimness to the room. Turning my attention back to him again, I held up my hands slowly.

"Are you alright? Do you mind if I place my hands on you?" I asked him. He shook his head and I put my hands at my sides and asked if it was okay if I sat on the bed with him. He nodded and I sat down across from him, careful not to touch him yet.

"Tell me when you're sort of calmed down," I stated and I waited until he caught his breath and laid back down before sitting closer to him, still not touching him.

"Do you want to tall about it? Can I get you anything? Tea? A wet cloth?" I asked. He shook his head no, but reached out with his right hand to me. I took it in mine and started rubbing soothing circles in his skin.

"Stay with me. Please," he stated, turning to me. I nodded and slid down beside him, angling myself to face him. Bucky slid down a bit and pulled me close so that his head was resting against my neck. He then took my hands, placing one on his head and the other he linked with his own. Releasing a deep breath, I ran my hand through his hair, placing a delicate kiss on the top of his head. After a half an hour, I noticed he had fallen back asleep and reached over and turned out the light. I continued stroking his hair until I too fell asleep.

The next morning, I awoke to find myself against Bucky's chest, one hand still linked with one of his, the other draped across his waist. I looked up at his face and saw that he was still in deep sleep. A knock at the door sounded and I slowly unraveled myself from him and stood up to see Steve standing at the open door. I walked over to him and we stepped into the hallway, leaving Bucky's door cracked open a little.

"I heard the screams last night. You went to him didn't you? To comfort him?" he greeted me. I nodded and Steve smiled.

"I couldn't get back to sleep for a few hours but I noticed that there were no more screams. That's good. You're good with him, a calm effect for him. For everyone it seems. When you talked with us, there was less tension in the room. I felt it, as did everyone else. Are you sure you don't have an enhanced ability?" Steve asked, waving to Sam as he passed us.

"I'm sure. I was being gentle with him. I didn't touch him until he felt comfortable and I didn't press him into talking about it. I'm not completely sure I'm a calm effect but I feel like people are just naturally drawn to me. Maybe it's just my personality," I commented.

"Maybe. Listen, what are you doing today? You could come with us to the beach for the day. We all need to get away for a little while. You look like you could use a day to relax. Get to know everyone a bit more. Spend time with Bucky. You two are starting to become wonderful friends. He seems to open up more when you're around," Steve suggested.

"Sure, that sounds fantastic. I just have to go home and get a bathing suit and a few other things if that's alright," I stated.

"Good morning Abigail. Hey, Steve, are we still going to the beach today?" a sleepy voice greeted us from behind. I turned to face Bucky and smiled.

"Yes and I've invited Abigail to join us. That okay Buck?" Steve answered Bucky's question.

"That's ok. I'd be glad to have her come along. Besides Natasha is really starting to enjoy having her as a friend. I'm sure she'll be glad she's coming with us," he replied before heading down the hallway to the kitchen. I went to my room and changed into my work clothes from last night and placed the pajamas in the hamper beside the dresser. I opened the door to find Natasha waiting for me. She took me home to get a bathing suit and other supplies and we met the others at the beach. As I hung out with everyone, a thought occurred to me at that moment. The thought, as I looked at Bucky laughing at something Steve said, was that I was starting to develop feelings for Bucky and the more I spent time with him, the harder I was going to fall in love with him.


	3. A Moment Shared

Waking up in the middle of the night, feeling nauseous, I bolted from my bed and headed straight to the bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet. As soon as I spit the first round of vomit out of my mouth, the second wave hit me hard and I hurled again, the force bringing tears to my eyes. I guess it was the force of throwing up that caused me to cry, the pain a little too unbearable to me. Groaning, I sat back against the wall, the coolness distracting me from the fact that my stomach was hurting and that chills had started to set in, a good indication that I was getting sick. I clutched my stomach as the pain roamed around the organ and closed my eyes, hoping there wasn't going to be another round of throwing up.

After a few minutes had passed by without heaving again, I got up from the floor and rinsed my mouth out with water, eliminating the taste of bile. Turning out the light, I returned to bed, bundling under the covers chills at full blast running throughout my body. I could also feel my face getting hot, letting me know a fever had just made its appearance.

_Oh great. I'm getting sick, which is not something I can afford right now, _I thought to myself, as I curled into a ball. I tried to close my eyes and drift off to dreamland, hoping everything would disappear in the morning. After what felt like a few hours later, I did just that, the chills subsiding for the moment, the blankets doing their job at keeping me warm.

In the morning, however, I felt much worse, fever still present. The chills had returned and now I had a few new symptoms, which included a cough that made my throat raw and sweats that ranged from my forehead to the middle of my back. Feeling extremely nauseated, I rushed back to the bathroom and vomited again. I was definitely still feeling sick and returned to bed, deciding to send a text to my boss saying that I wasn't going to be making it in to work.

Receiving the "feel better" text from her, I closed my eyes to get some more rest, hoping I would feel better in a few hours. As I drifted back off, I missed a text from Bucky that said he was coming over.

Bucky's POV

"Where are you headed off to Buck?" Steve asked me as I grabbed my keys to my motorcycle and headed towards the door.

"I thought I'd take Abigail out for lunch today. Maybe give her a break from her coworkers for an hour," I answered him, shrugging my shoulders. Truth is that I really wanted to spend time with her alone to get to know her a little more. I liked the way she made me feel when I was around her and I suspected that I was starting to develop feelings for her.

"Have fun," he told me, a wide smile plastered on his face. I sighed and left the tower, driving over to Abigail's place of employment. As I pulled into the parking lot and didn't see her car, a feeling of dread came over me as I got off my motorcycle and went inside.

"Hey, can I help you?" one of her coworkers greeted me coming up to the fence, blocking the office so the dogs couldn't get outside.

"Is Abigail around? I didn't see her car. I was going to invite her out to lunch this afternoon," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck, anxiety setting in.

"She's out sick today actually," she informed me, relief flooding through me glad she was at home safe. I went back outside, got on my bike, and drove to a nearby bistro, where I picked up a bowl of chicken noodle soup and then left there to head to her apartment to see how she was feeling.

Abigail's POV

A knock sounded at the door causing me to sit up abruptly before pulling myself out of bed to see whom it was. I pulled on a robe lying on the sofa and made my way to the door, looking through the peephole at my visitor. To my surprise it was Bucky, dressed in jeans and a dark green, long sleeve shirt, a brown jacket and wearing a baseball cap on his head. In his hand was a bag and I was curious to know what was in it. I opened the door and instantly received a smile from him.

"Hey Bucky. Everything okay?" I greeted him, my voice a little husky from the cough that hurt my throat.

"Hi, Abigail. Everything's fine. I went to your workplace to invite you to lunch but they told me you were out sick, so I thought I'd come by and see how you were feeling. Plus, I've brought you some chicken soup," he replied, leaning up against the doorframe and holding up the bag.

"Thanks Bucky. Want to come in? You can make yourself at home if you like, though I imagine I'm not going to be much fun, giving my condition," I told him, taking the bag from him and going into the kitchen. I pulled out the plastic container out of the bag and grabbed a spoon from a drawer before grabbing a drink from the fridge and sat down at the kitchen table to eat.

I watched as Bucky walked in and closed the door to my apartment, sitting down on the couch and turning on the T.V. to watch something while waiting on me to finish eating. He soon got up and disappeared down the hallway to retrieve some pillows and blankets from my bedroom and set up the couch to be a little more comfy. I smiled to myself and finished up eating, setting the bowl and spoon in the sink before joining him on the couch, curling under the blankets.

"Want to watch a movie or something?" Bucky asked me, handing me the remote. Our fingers brushed slightly and I felt a spark run through my arm as I took the remote from him. Clearing my throat, I looked over at my movie selection, my gaze settling on a movie I thought he might like.

"Have you seen Labyrinth? We could watch that," I suggested, getting a nod from him before getting up, grabbing the DVD and setting up the DVD player. Once on, I pressed the eject button and put the movie in, returning to the couch and sitting back under the blankets. During the opening credits, I felt a wave of nausea overwhelm me again and excused myself, sprinting to the bathroom, throwing up for the fourth time that day.

"Abigail? Are you all right? Need me to get you anything?" I heard Bucky ask outside of the door.

"No, I'm all right. I'll be back in a minute," I answered, leaning against the wall, breathing slowly to keep the nausea at bay. The door opened and he walked over to me, sitting on the floor. He placed his right hand against my forehead and I relished at the cool touch of his skin, before turning once more to the toilet. I felt him pull my hair back from my face, felt him rub gentle circles on my back, allowing me to finish before handing me some toilet paper to wipe my mouth. I leaned against his chest as he held me for a few minutes, stroking my hair as a calming gesture.

He released me for a moment to get a rag and run it under cool water before wringing it out and placing it to the side. Bending down, he lifted me into his arms, and grabbed the rag, carried me back to the living room. Placing me back on the couch, Bucky took off his shoes and socks before lifting me up and stretching out so that I was lying against him. He gently laid the cool rag on my forehead and pressed play on the movie. The warmth of his chest radiated throughout my body, chills subsiding a little, and I snuggled closer to him, focusing on the movie.

About halfway through the movie, I felt my eyelids drooping, exhaustion taking over me due to being sick but tried to stay awake as long as I could.

"If you want to sleep, go ahead. I won't mind. I'll still be here when you wake up," Bucky whispered, gently placing a kiss on the top of my head; an action that reddened my already flushed face even more. I released a relaxed sigh and let sleep take over me.

Bucky's POV

I watched as Abigail fell into a deep slumber, her hands resting against my chest and smiled to myself, thankful she was getting some rest. I had to admit she her coworker had first informed me that she wasn't at work; I was worried that someone had come after her because of her association with me. I could feel the tension ease once she had said she wasn't feeling well and immediately decided to bring her some comfort food. Now as I lie here with her against me, I felt comforted as well, the anxiety lessened with physical touch as well as her presence alone.

The more time that I spent with Abigail, the calmer and relaxed I felt and I started to realize we were getting closer to each other. I enjoyed the way her ice blue eyes sparkled whenever I was near, the way she laughed that caused tingles to crawl down my spine each time she did so. I relished in her touch, her soft skin, brushing against mine, the warmth spreading everywhere throughout me. When my hand brushed hers as I handed her the remote, I felt a spark that made my heart rate spike a bit. Feelings were definitely being developed, especially as I held her now, longing for her to be mine and to feel her lips brush against my own.

I was afraid, however, that something was going to happen to her the more we got to know each other and the more we spent time together. Danger lay around the corner with enemies that could potentially use her to get to me. Even knowing my friends, she was in danger. But, it made me want her more, to protect her and to love her. I just didn't know how much loving her would bring her to more harm. As Abigail slept, our breathing almost synced and before I knew it I had fallen asleep alongside her.

Abigail's POV

I awoke slowly, my mouth dry from all the puking I had been doing throughout the day and tried sitting up. Realizing I couldn't I turned my attention to Bucky who had been holding me while watching Labyrinth and noticed he was asleep, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, his long, dark hair falling into his face as he dreamed. Peacefully, I might add. Smiling, I reached up and carefully moved his dark hair over his ear, causing him to stir and pull me closer still.

"Bucky?" I whispered, slightly shaking him to get him to wake up. I disliked disturbing him but I needed to quench my thirst. I called out to him again and a few seconds later, he opened his eyes, that steel blue color catching my gaze. Yawning, he stretched his arms over his head, freeing me so that I could go pour myself some water.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked, after taking a few sips of water, my thirst quenched, hunger approaching. He got off the couch, walking towards me, stopping a few inches from me and placed his hand against my forehead, before moving down to my neck. I gasped as he did so, the closeness causing my heart to flutter as he smiled softly.

"Your fever is gone. Feeling any better?" he stated, his blue eyes flickering to mine, causing my breath to hitch in my throat.

"Yes, much…much better. Thank you. I'm feeling kind of hungry actually," I answered, trying to regain my composure around him. Silence filled the room as we stood there looking into each other's eyes until I broke the stare by turning towards the pantry and finding a can of chicken noodle soup, afraid of eating anything else that might be regurgitated later.

"I don't what kind of soup you like but I've got tomato, vegetable beef, chicken noodle…or if you don't want soup, there's sandwich stuff…" I offered, hoping he would stay for dinner.

"Actually, I should be heading back. Steve, Natasha, Sam and I were supposed to get sushi in a little while. I can swing back by later if you need me to though," he told me, shattering my hope he would stay.

"Oh, okay. Um…no, that's all right. I'll be fine. Don't want to get you sick although just by being here for a few hours there's a possibility that you could get sick. Anyways, thank you for coming over and taking care of me. I greatly appreciated it," I replied, tucking a strand of my dark blonde hair behind my ear shyly.

"No problem. I'll send you a text later to check in on how you're feeling a little later all right?" he responded, walking back to me and pulling me into a hug. I squeezed him back and we stayed like that for a minute until he pulled back from me and put his shoes and socks back on, going to the door.

"Have a good night Abigail," Bucky said before leaving me alone in my apartment, my feelings for him growing stronger and quicker and I realized that falling in love with him was inevitable.


	4. Girls Night and Confessions

A few weeks later after Bucky had come to take care of me while I was sick, work resumed its very busy schedule. Either someone was sick or they couldn't be bothered to come in and I was called in multiple times and unfortunately wasn't able to spend any extra time with my new friends. They had also hired a new girl whom it seemed I had to repeatedly train. My attitude had shifted from its usual calmness to a mildly irritated temper and I feared for the person that got on my bad side for the moment.

This day was like no other; frustrating and tiring, plus it was unbearably hot and I was in no mood for interaction. The slightest thing could set me off and I was in the mindset for a break of some kind. Leaving work after a long day of vacuuming, I left to go home for some much needed relaxation, perhaps in the form of a long, hot bath and some alcohol, followed by some late night reading. Plans changed, however, when turning to walk to my car, I spotted two women casually leaning up against a sleek, black car that had one of those fronts that looked mean and intimidating.

Walking closer, I recognized them as Natasha and Wanda form the other night at the tower and they immediately brought a smile to my face, my irritation slowly fading away.

"Hey, Abigail. You look like you could use a drink. Long day?" Natasha greeted me first, pushing herself off of the car and embracing me once I got close enough to her.

"Or several. Yes, it's been a long day indeed. I should really say a long couple of weeks," I responded, a laugh on my lips. They laughed at my comment and Wanda hugged me before offering up a suggestion.

"What do you say we go get one then? Our treat. Let's celebrate getting through it. Maybe go dancing. Let's do something to get your mind of off it," Wanda suggested.

"Definitely. I know the perfect place too. My apartment," I accepted, to which they both nodded.

"Should we invite the guys or do a girls night?" Natasha asked, before we got into our cars. It had been too long since I had seen Bucky but I wanted to spend time with Natasha and Wanda more, given that I wasn't really in the mood to put up with Tony's antics and get into another bad mood.

"How about a girls night? It'll give us a chance to get to know each other better plus we could watch rom-coms and possibly dance around in our underwear, nobody to watch, not giving a damn in the world what anyone else thinks," I answered, a grin spreading out on my lips as they both laughed. We got in our cars and took off to my apartment to dance the night away.

A few drinks in and a lot of laughs later, we were all sitting on my couch, a movie as background noise, discussing interests and who was the hottest of our friends. Wanda had a mild crush on Vision while Natasha was interested in Steve and suddenly their attention was on me.

"While we are on the subject, do you like Bucky? I mean, since you've met him you two seem like you hit it off. I'm asking mainly because the other night he was here, taking care of you. Don't tell me there's nothing between you two because I think there is. There's some definite chemistry between you and him, I've seen it," Natasha asked me, extremely blunt with her question.

"I…I'm not sure I should-" I began but Wanda cut me off.

"Oh, come on. It's just us and you can be honest about it. We won't tell. Besides, he's very comfortable around you. We noticed that the night he introduced you to the team. He trusts you completely and usually he's closed off from everyone except Nat and Steve," Wanda commented. They leaned in closer eager to hear my answer and I released a sigh, heat radiating off my skin at the blush forming on my cheeks.

"I guess. Scratch that, yes, I do like him, very much. He makes me feel…I don't know. Whenever Bucky's around, I just feel like I can be myself, like…"

"Oh my god. You're in love with him aren't you? He makes you feel complete doesn't he? You should tell him how you feel. Tell him because I'm sure he feels the same way, because he needs you; you're his anchor,"

"I've seen the way he lights up every time we mention your name, every time his phone lights up with a message from you. Abigail, you're his whole world. You bring him comfort when he feels that no one else can," Natasha remarked, a giant grin plastered on his face. Heat warmed my face as embarrassment flooded through my insides. I did love him. I had figured that out the night he took care of me, but I didn't want to be a distraction for him on missions; I didn't want him to get hurt because of me.

"I don't think I can. Nat, I don't want to be that distraction. What if he gets hurt because he's thinking about me or if-" I began, fear setting in.

"You won't be. If anything, you'll be something that'll make him fight more; someone that he can come to and escape for a while. You'll be someone that has such an effect on him that can be his calm in the storm," Wanda interjected, placing her hand on my shoulder, giving me comfort.

I couldn't have asked for better friends. They had supported me in this decision and I was glad for it and we resumed our night, switching off the movie and putting music on. Pushing the couch and the chair beside it back as well as moving the coffee table so we wouldn't run into it, we danced and danced, throwing our worries away.

We danced and sang to our hearts content, no surprises thrown our way. Well, that was until a knock sounded at my door, catching us off guard. This surprise was a pleasant one as when I opened the door and Bucky was standing outside in the hallway.

Bucky's POV

"Buck, would you stop pacing and sit down," Steve stated, gesturing to one of the couches in the living room of the Avengers compound. I managed to do so for about five minutes before I got back and resumed my pacing.

"Okay, dude, what's gotten into you? Something's got you amped up. Should it be something I need to be worried about?" Steve questioned, his expression filled with concern. I debated filling him in on my thoughts; afraid someone else was around to judge me. Taking a quick look around to find the giant living room was empty save for the two of us, I decided to tell him about my plans.

"I like her. No, no, I love her," I replied, receiving a confused look from my best friend. I meant Abigail of course and I had realized these feelings of mine about her ever since the night she was sick. We had shared a moment, even cuddled on the couch before I had left to meet my friends that night.

"By her, I assumed you meant Abigail. All right, what are you planning to do about it? Are you going to tell her how you feel?" Steve asked, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. Thinking about it, I wasn't sure if I should. There was a possibility she didn't feel the same way and then friendship could be ruined. I didn't want that; I didn't want to lose her.

"I want to. You don't realize how much I want to, but what it she doesn't feel the same way. I don't want to lose that friendship, to lose her. I can't. She's…"

"Important to you. I know. I see that every time she texts you, every time you mention her name. But, Bucky, I'm fairly certain she feels the same way. When I brought her here that night, there was something there and I don't think you could ever lose her because of that connection, that spark that the two of you share," Steve told me before he continued talking.

"There is some magical connection between you two. She calms you and you protect her. It's almost like there's something that fits in the relationship that you two have, regardless of if it's friendship or not. Tell her or don't. Ask her out or don't. What you choose to do is ultimately your choice, but you'll never know until you try," he stated. I nodded and stopped pacing, looking towards the front door. I strode past him, grabbed my keys to my motorcycle and headed to the one place I needed to be at this very moment. I made the most important decision of my entire life.

Abigail's POV

"Bucky, what you doing here? Is there something wrong?" I greeted him, wondering if he needed my help with something.

"No, nothing's wrong. Can I come in? I wanted to tell you something," he answered, relief washing over me that is until I realized what he said.

"Sure. Natasha and Wanda are here too. We were having a bit of a girls night but you're welcome to hang out with us for little while," I replied, opening the door all the way so that he could step inside. I was nervous about what he wanted to tell me, but also nervous because I wanted to confess my feelings about him and I wasn't sure how he would take it.

"Oh…I wouldn't want o impose or interrupt your night. Um…can you come out in the hallway for a moment? It's kind of a private matter," he commented. I nodded, my nerves on full power and followed him out in the hallway.

"So what's up? I have something I want to tell you too," I remarked, fidgeting with my hands. He chuckled and took my hands in his.

"The thing that I wanted to tell you is that I have feelings for you. I really like you Abigail and I think that I might be falling in love with you. I don't want to be friends any longer because I want something more than that. I want to take your face in my hands and kiss you. I want to wake up beside you one day, holding you in my arms. If you don't feel the same, I can accept that and I'll cherish your friendship forever but I wanted…needed to let you know how I truly feel about you," he told me, surprising me.

"Bucky, I like you too. Like you, I too think that I'm falling in love with you. I was afraid to tell you because I wasn't sure if you might have feelings for me, but I also thought that if we were together that I might be too much of a distraction for you and I don't want to see you get hurt. It would hurt too much, but I want you because you're my everything," I told him, receiving a smile from him.

"Abigail, you could never be a distraction for me. You're the first one I think about when I wake up and you make me want to fight harder and you're the first one I want to see when I come back from missions. I know I have Steve and Natasha and that they're my best friends but I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see you anymore," he reassured, pulling me in a hug and pressing a kiss on the top of my head. I loved his body pressed against mine and I couldn't imagine my life without him in it.

"I was wondering if you might want to go on a date with me. Something small, like maybe we could grab a coffee and just talk about anything. It doesn't matter as long as I get to spend time with you," he commented, those words snagging my full attention. I lifted my head up to look at him, smiling.

"How about Friday night at seven?" I asked, receiving a smile from him in return.

"It's a date," he replied, before releasing me and letting me return to the girls night. I smiled to myself, opening the door to reveal Natasha and Wanda standing at the entrance, hands on their hips.

"We told you that he liked you. So did he ask you out?" Wanda stated, raising an eyebrow. I nodded and they both squealed in delight as we returned to the living room to discuss details about what I should wear on my first date with him. For the first time in my life I felt complete, but being with him was going to have its consequences. In fact, being friends with the Avengers was going to have grave consequences indeed.


	5. A Torturous Night

Date night comes around and I'm eager to meet Bucky for some coffee and to spend time with him. I'm thinking about our firs kiss as I'm wrapping up the cleaning duties for the day when the bells of the front door chime and the door slams shut. I walk out into the office, thinking it's a customer and see a group of guys clad in black attire standing near the door. Warning bells go off in my head as I note their intimidating expressions and stances, but I greet them anyway.

"We're closed now. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Sorry gentlemen but I've got somewhere to be," I greet them as polite as possible. They don't move, their eyes locked on me, no indication of having heard me. The silence intensifies and the one closer to the door locks while the others smile, a terrifying glint in their eyes. It's not the smiles of people who of friendly customers but ones of people who mean to cause you harm.

"Where are the Avengers? Where are your brand new friends that you've recently acquired? Where's the Winter Soldier? We want him back. Tell us and we won't hurt you," one man speaks, his tone sending chills down my spine.

"I don't know who you're talking about. I don't know them," I state, frightened but I refused to show them, standing my ground.

"I think you do. Last time, where are they?" the man asks again, taking a step closer as the others surround me.

"I already told you. I don't know who-" I respond, cut off by a slap to the face, my head snapping to the right. Realization sets in now; they mean to hurt me in order to get information on my friends and Bucky.

_Oh, Bucky. I'm sorry,_ I think to myself. I can't let him get hurt or captured. I refuse to let my friends have this fate thrown upon them. The first man laughs before addressing me again.

"You're loyal, little girl. A good trait to have, but it'll get you killed. We've been watching you with them. You know where they are, where they live. Tell me and we will set you free. If you don't, I'm afraid we'll have to force you to talk," he threatened. He hasn't told me his name. None of them have, I suspect so they won't be identified. Their mistake, though, is that they haven't bothered to cover their faces.

"No, you won't set me free. I've seen your faces. Either way, this ends badly for me. If you have been watching me as you say you have, then you should already know where they are. I still won't tell you where they are. I won't betray them like that," I snap, earning me a scowl from the man in front of me.

"Grab her and bring her in the next room. We will make her talk even if we have to break every bone in her body; even if we have to kill her," the man whom I've decided is the leader orders his men. Before one guy can lay a hand on me, I grabbed the hammer from the bookcase behind me and slammed it into the guy's skull on the right side of me, stunning him for a moment. I took the moment to rush into the training room, reaching the table where I've placed my phone and…smash it into a million pieces.

I don't regret my actions because if they manage to capture me, my phone is the one thing that could lead to my friends' demise and I couldn't let that happen.

_Bucky, I'm so sorry. I wasn't planning to stand you up but things happen that we can't control. I love you, _I think, before I made my next move. I try to run to the back door but the men on top of me in an instant, two of them latching onto my arms. The one I hit with the hammer stumbles in behind the leader, blood dripping from the wound.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that. Julian, grab a chair and restrain her. Mikael, turn off the lights in the office and close the door. I don't want anyone getting suspicious," the leader barked, giving me the names of two of his minions. He came closer to me, running a finger down my left cheek before forcefully grabbing my jaw to make me look at him.

"Let's have some fun shall we?" he asked me, a murderous gleam in his eyes. It terrified me but I forced my fear down, not letting this man get under my skin. His two minions dragged me to the chair, too strong for me to fight against them. They tied me to it with rope they had in a bag they had brought with them. I tried to break free of my bonds, but it was no use, so I shot a glare at the leader instead.

"My name is Hans, though I doubt you'll remember it after what is going to happen to you. Tell me where they are. Tell me where your boyfriend is," the leader growled, finally giving me a name to his ugly face.

"I don't know. I've never been to see them. He's not my boyfriend; he's just a friend," I reply, refusing to give him any information. Hans just frowned and looked to the man standing on my right.

"Julian, break her arm," he simply commanded. I heard the crack before the pain, screaming as it descended onto me, my arm now limp at my side, despite the rope securing me. Tears sprung to my eyes but I quickly blinked them away, forcing myself not to cry in front of them.

"Where are you Avengers?" Hans asked again. Once more I refuse to tell him.

"Rip her shirt open and get the whip. Strike her with it," he commanded. Julian, the one who broke my arm, did as he was asked. He tore open the fabric of my shirt, back and shoulders exposed and reached down into the bag pulling out a long, thick, black whip. He stepped behind me and the whip cracked, the end connecting with my skin. I yelped in pain, felt the warm blood trickling down my back.

Each time, Hans asked where my friends were, each time I refused to answer him; each time the whip connected to my skin, a sickening crack echoing in my ears. I could feel the blood seeping down my back, soaking my underwear and my jeans. After a few minutes, I was breathing harder; sweat had started to pour down my face, drenching my neck, the front of my shirt.

"Damn it girl! Tell me where he is!" Hans shouted.

"NO! Torture me all you want. I'm not telling you anything. They deserve to have someone standing up for them, protecting them. I won't…let you hurt them or capture them. As for…Bucky, he deserves to be free not brainwashed by a bunch of psychopaths. So…go ahead…torture me," I snapped, panting. I was starting to feel a bit lightheaded from the loss of blood, but I fought to stay alert.

"That's so sweet. You want to protect them but I don't see any of the, coming to protect you, to save you. Tell me their location and all this pain can end. End your suffering and tell me where they live," Hans snarled, his face growing bright red from anger.

"I don't expect them to. They should know to…stay away from here if it means they could get captured. I don't expect _him_ to save me either. You see…I was…supposed to go…on a date with him, but…it appears I'm late. He'll think…I've stood him up. I won't…let you…hurt…him," I said through gritted teeth, the pain coming in waves. At this I received a punch to the ribs, the wind knocked out of me, feeling something crack inside.

"What? Did…I say…something you…didn't like?" I questioned, sarcasm dripping in my tone, struggling to catch my breath. He screamed in rage and reached into the bag, bringing forth a knife. He shoved Julian out of the way, slicing the blade down my back, causing me to scream out again. The pain was so overwhelming that tears came pouring from eyes. I couldn't stop them from flowing, earning hateful laughs from the other men in the room.

"Great, now she cries. Are you afraid now, little girl? You've got no one. No friends, no lover, no one who cares for you. So, now you're going to die and for what? You'll die for them, those precious Avengers who protect their innocent people. Don't let me forget your Winter Soldier. You'll die protecting him because you love him. You're alone in this and no one-" Hans mocked me, cut off suddenly when the room went dark. I lifted my head up as much as I could but I couldn't see anything or anyone.

"She's not alone. You really shouldn't have harmed her," a familiar voice called out before a gunshot echoed throughout the room. I heard something hit the ground with a thud, followed by a few grunts and more thuds to the floor and then complete silence. The lights came back on, revealing two familiar faces, Natasha and Tony. My friends had come to rescue me.

"Abigail, what have they done to you? Why didn't you call us?" Tony asked me as Natasha freed me from my restraints, the pain from my broken arm retuning in full. She pulled me off the chair and I slumped against her, unable to move.

"I…didn't…tell…them…anything. I…had…to…protect…you," I managed to say before darkness descended upon me, not hearing Tony shout at Natasha to call an ambulance.

Bucky's POV

I had waited for Abigail for two hours at the coffee shop for our first date but she had never showed. I even called her a few time, but it kept going to voicemail, my texts remaining unanswered. Figuring she had stood me up, I returned to the compound, hurt and confused. She had said she loved me and then had not shown up for our date.

Slamming my keys against the counter, I ventured to the couch and sat down, hanging my head in my hands trying to understand what happened tonight.

"Hey, how'd it go? Did you kiss her? Bucky?" Steve's voice greeted me. I snapped my head up to shoot him a glare.

"She stood me up, didn't answer my calls or my texts. I told her how I felt and then this happened. I thought she loved me, at least that's _what_ she told me and then she stands me up. So, it went horrible and no, I didn't get to kiss her," I snapped at him, angry and hurt. He furrowed his brow in confusion and I turned away from him.

"She stood you up? Abigail? The woman who looks at you as if you're her world? Why would she do that? You said she loved you right? Maybe she got caught up somewhere. She could have left her phone at home. I could call Natasha, see if she knows where Abigail is," Steve commented, disbelief in his voice.

"No. She didn't want to be with me. She could have just told me that she didn't feel the same way instead of…" I began, tears forming in my eyes.

"Bucky, come on man. She loves you. We've all seen how she looks at you, how she is around you. Maybe…well speaking Natasha, she's calling me now. She might have some news," Steve stated, reaching in his pocket for his phone. I just shook my head as he answered.

"Natasha, hey. Do you…what? Slow down, I can't understand what…Nat, slow down. Yes, he's here. What do you mean she's…what happened? They…we're on our way," I heard Steve say in the phone before he ended the call. He turned to me then, an angry look in his eye.

"We have to go to the hospital; Abigail's there. She didn't stand you up Bucky. Some men showed up at her work and…tortured her for information about us, about you," he explained, his voice strained with concern. My eyes widened at what he had just said. Abigail, my Abigail was tortured because of her involvement with me, with us.

"No…" I whispered before following Steve out of the compound.

When we arrived at the hospital, Nat and Tony were waiting for us. Natasha's shirt had blood on it and I guessed it was Abigail's from where she had been tortured.

"What happened? Who hurt her?" I asked, angry with myself that I hadn't rescued her.

"Rogue agents; they broke her arm, fractured half of her ribs. There were wounds inflicted by a whip and he…Hans…had just taken a knife to her back before we got there. Bucky, she smashed her phone so they couldn't find us. She didn't tell them anything about us," Natasha told me, her face pale, her eyes red from where she'd been crying. I clenched my fists, furious that someone had tried to use her to get to us. Tony must have noticed my actions and held up his hands.

"Natasha and I took care of them. They're dead, Bucky. They can't come back for her. She's safe. Abigail is in room 211 if you want to go see her. She's asleep, though, but you can go in there and hold her hand. It might be nice for her to wake up and see a friendly face," he told me.

"We should move her to the compound. Tony, you could hire her to clean for us. This won't be the last attack on her but we have a better chance of protecting her, if she's there with us," Steve commented. I barely heard Tony's reply as I turned and headed to Abigail's room.

Abigail's POV

I groaned as I awoke, pain still radiating through my body from all the injuries I received by those men. _Those men. Wait, where am I? They could still be here,_ I thought, panicking. I frantically looked around the room, fearing that I was still in danger until I heard a familiar voice.

"Abigail, calm down. You're fine. You're in the hospital. Look at me. It's Bucky. You're safe," the voice told me, my head turning to look beside me. There he sat in a chair by the bed, Bucky, my Bucky. I relaxed, tears springing to my eyes. I let them flow freely as I laced my fingers through his, using my unbroken arm to pull him closer.

"Bucky, I'm so sorry. I wasn't going to stand you up but they trapped me. I couldn't let them…hurt you," I told him between sobs. Those dark blue eyes softened and he ran his free hand through my hair.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. I wish I had known. I could have saved you. I could have stopped this," he responded.

"I couldn't risk that. I love you too much to let you get captured," I stated, squeezing his hand.

"You're hurt because of me, because of us. I shouldn't have involved you in this, in my life. Abigail, if you hadn't met me…"

"I wouldn't be complete. Bucky, you're everything to me. I wouldn't wish to have never met you because I can't imagine my life without you in it. I don't regret my choices. I could have given in, I could have let them find you but I didn't. You're too important and I would've have done it again given the option," I interrupted, wiping away the tears that had rolled down his face. He sniffed and took my hand in his metal one and kissed my palm, the motion so gentle it warmed my heart.

"Can we try again? Maybe when you're feeling better? I'd love to try again," he asked me and I nodded, a smile on my lips. He leaned over and kissed me, his lips soft against mine, his stubble scratching my chin. When he pulled back, he returned my smile, my love growing stronger in my soul. A temporary setback but it had only brought us closer.


	6. A Date to Remember

A Date to Remember

Abigail's POV

I spent a week in the hospital, the doctors making sure no infection spread into my wounds. I didn't mind, especially since Bucky came by every night and one Avenger stood guard each day to protect me from other enemies if need be. Natasha and Steve even visited a couple of hours each day; I was happy to see my friends' faces.

What I found odd was Tony coming around to find out where my apartment was located and having me sign different things without telling me the contents of the documents. The only thing he revealed t me was the fact that he hired me to help clean around the compound the Avengers had recently moved into; after the events that happened to me, they thought it best to move locations.

I felt guilty thinking it was my fault they had to so, even with both Bucky and Tony assuring me it wasn't. They didn't blame me for what happened, telling me it was better if they could be somewhere more private anyway, the tower being too public for anyone who had a reputation as big as theirs.

The day of my release from the hospital, I was greeted by Natasha and Bucky, glad to see them and relieved to finally be leaving the place.

"We're here to break you out. Time to go home, Abigail. Now you'll be able to have better food and a more comfortable bed," Natasha informed me, a huge smile on her face.

"I have to get dressed first. I could use a little help though," I commented, gesturing to my cast that was held up by a sling.

"Which is why brought you a change of clothes," Bucky stated, holding up a black duffle bag. Nat took the bag out of his grasp and helped me to the bathroom. In the bad was an olive green tank top, gray sweatpants; he also brought other essentials like deodorant, a brush, and undergarments. I slid on the underwear and sweatpants with ease but had Natasha help with the rest.

"Here, I got you some sandals to slip on as well. I'm afraid we have to take you out in a wheelchair but we're escorting you home in a car, no wheelchair meeting you when you get there," She told me. We walked out and I sat in the chair; I was rolled down the hallway by Bucky, saying goodbye to all the doctors and nurses who took care of me during my stay.

Outside a black car awaited us, Bucky helping me get in the back with him, Natasha sitting in the front passenger seat; Tony was in the driver's side.

"Abby! Good to see you. Has anyone told you where you'll be going today? Ah, before I forget, I've got you your new phone with all of our contact information in there. Barnes is your primary person to contact of course, followed by Steve, Natasha, and then me,"

"It's privacy protected too in order to stop others from seeing out information should you get captured again. Doubtful, since we'll be able to protect you more. I-,"

"Tony, not that I mind you explaining things but I'd really like to go home now. No, scratch that, I want to get some food first and then go home," I interrupted him, receiving an exaggerated sigh from him. He was the only one to call me Abby instead of my full name like everyone else.

"All right, food first. What would you like?  
He asked me, pulling out from the hospital.

"Hmm…I wouldn't mind a bacon cheeseburger and fries at the moment. Oh, and maybe a strawberry milkshake as well," I responded.

"Now you're speaking my language," Tony commented. I laughed, laying my head against Bucky's shoulder.

"Stretch out if you'd like. I'm not going anywhere," Bucky told me, wrapping his arm around me and kissing the top of my head. Snuggling closer, I propped up my legs on the rest of the seat, my free hand linked with Bucky's. Tony drove to a drive thru picking up my request along with something for the others in the car, handing Bucky and me our bags and drinks.

Sipping my milkshake, I noticed Tony was headed in the opposite direction of my apartment. Leaning over the seat, I tapped him on the arm.

"Tony, you're the wrong way. I thought you've been to my-,"

"You don't live there anymore, which is why I asked if anyone's told you where we're heading. Sit back and relax. It's a surprise. A good one, don't worry," he told me, a huge smile plastered on his face. Confused, I leaned back into Bucky, popping another fry into my mouth. We entered the countryside, Tony pulling up to a large building with a glass front to it; my jaw dropped open at the site of it.

"Welcome home Abigail," Bucky stated, helping me out of the car, his arm wrapping around my waist.

"I don't understand. Am I living with…all of you? I'm not an Avenger. I'm not even sure I'm qualified to live here," I commented, staring at the massive building.

"We came to a decision that it would be better if you stayed with us. We can protect you this way and you'd see Barnes every time we come back from a mission. You have your own room too, but if you'd rather move into Barnes' room, we can make that arrangement as well," Tony said, taking our empty food containers and throwing them away in the trashcans sitting out front.

"Natasha, Steve and Bucky helped your stuff here. It's all taken care of. You're like family to us and we'd love to have you here with us," Tony explained, walking us inside.

The interior was amazing; it had a huge kitchen, the living room connected to it, the neutral gray walls matching with the black hardwood floors. The building was two stories, bedrooms located on the second story. Everything was completely magnificent; it brought tears to my eyes.

"I don't know what to say. How can I even repay you for this?" I remarked, swiping away a stray tear that rolled down my face.

"Say you'll stay with us. You don't have to repay anything. I mean, you've brought comfort to us all and you even protected us without being an Avenger. Bucky will pretty glad to have you near him as a bonus point," Nat said, squeezing my hand. I nodded, Bucky asking if I wanted a tour of the building. I accepted and we left Tony and Natasha talking in the kitchen.

There were two labs, one for Bruce and one for Tony, a huge garage where their transportation was parked. He showed me the training room, the theater room which had a separate recreational room attached to it. The last stop we toured were the bedrooms, mine next to Bucky's, similar to the time I stayed in the tower the first night with the Avengers.

"Did you want to move into my room? We could slowly move things tomorrow if you'd like. I know you must be tired from the hospital," Bucky asked me, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Tomorrow," I agreed, exhaustion taking its toll on me. I wanted to lie down and take nap, leaning against Bucky afraid I might fall over.

"Why don't you get some rest?" he suggested, opening the door to his room, leading me inside towards the bed. I slipped off my sandals, Bucky helping me get under the covers, the soft material of the sheets resting against my skin. I grabbed his wrist when he turned to leave, wanting his warmth more than anything.

"Stay. Please," I said, yawning. He nodded, pulling off his jacket, slipping off his shoes and socks; he sidled up behind me, draping an arm over my torso, shifting me close to his body.

"Close your eyes. Let yourself drift off," he whispered, the last words I heard as I faded off to dreamland.

Bucky's POV

Once Abigail had fallen asleep, I quietly slipped out of the bed, exiting the room. I shut the door so no one would disturb her, returning downstairs where the others were hanging out in the living room. I had plans to have our first official date here; I wanted to cook for her, share a glass of wine with her; I wanted it to be as romantic as possible. First, I needed to get rid of everyone in the compound; I wanted to be alone with her, no one to ruin the perfect moment to kiss her.

"Hey, Bucky. I heard Abigail got released from the hospital. How's she doing? What's wrong?" Steve greeted me, his features forming into those of confusion.

"She's fine. She's asleep in my room. Nothing's wrong, but I really need you all to leave. Go find something to do for a few hours," I answered, getting to my point.

"You can't just kick us out without any context. What you planning on doing if we're all out of the compound?" Tony stated, gesturing to everyone in the room.

"I would like to have a first date with Abigail. I would like to cook for her and I don't anyone around to…ruin the moment. I didn't mean to be rude, but I'd love it if everyone could go do something that's not in this building. Please?" I explained, running a hand through my hair.

"Oh. Well, then I guess we should all go see a movie or go drinking. We'll get out of your way. Let you have your romantic date," Tony commented, getting off the couch, waiting for everyone to follow suit. One by one they rose and joined Tony in walking to the garage. I grabbed Natasha's elbow, pulling her to the side as she walked by.

"Could you do me a favor? Is there anything you can find that'll be easy for Abigail to slip into? I want to surprise her tonight and I'd rather not wake her just yet," I asked her. She nodded, retreating upstairs. I sighed, thinking about where to begin.

I started cleaning around the compound to make it look nice when Abigail came downstairs, moving on to taking a quick shower and changing into a light blue, button up shirt and black trousers. I combed my hair out and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, not wanting to get them dirt while I was cooking. Making my descent down to the kitchen, I paused by the stereo, turning on something slow and sweet, rubbing my hands together as I got to work on cooking.

Abigail's POV  
I woke up to find Bucky had vanished from the bed, sitting up to wipe the sleep from my eyes. Glancing at the clock, I noticed it was already six and I had slept most of the afternoon. A knock sounded at the door and I slid out of the soft sheets to open the door; Natasha stood outside, a large box in her hands.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to the box in question.

"It's for you, for tonight. Open it," She replied, waltzing in and placing the box on the bed. I lifted the lid, moving the tissue paper on top; underneath that, a strapless green dress revealed itself, the fabric silky to the touch.

"It's lovely. What's going on? What do you mean it's for tonight?" I remarked, not sure what to think.

"It's a surprise. I'll help you get the dress on, do your hair and makeup. After that, you should go downstairs. That's where the surprise is," She responded, pulling the dress out. She draped it over her arm, taking my hand and leading me to my room. She helped me out of my sweats, unzipping the dress for me to step into, zipping it up once I had it on. Moving on to my hair, she straightened it and did a natural look for my makeup.

"Okay, you look perfect. Now, go downstairs. I'm meeting the others for drinks, so I'll see you later tonight," She told me, admiring her work. She left the room and I headed downstairs, my questions answered when I spotted Bucky in the kitchen cooking, slow music playing.

"Bucky? What's going on?" I greeted him, still not completely sure of everything.

"I'm making spaghetti for our first date. I figure we can eat, drink some wine, maybe even dance. I told everyone to leave so we could be alone together. How's that sound?" he answered, turning to face me.

"It sounds perfect," I replied, giving him a sweet smile.

"Have a seat. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," he told me, resuming stirring the pasta. I sat at the dining table waiting on him to finish cooking, talking with him, enjoying his company. Ten minutes later, he turned off the stove, dumping the pot of pasta into the colander sitting in the sink; he strained all the water out, lifting spaghetti out with a pasta fork on to plates.

Ladling the sauce onto the noodles, he brought over our meal, serving me first. He poured a glass of wine for us both; a nice Chianti that was a little oaky to the taste. We talked, we laughed as we ate, the date going extremely well; we cleaned up…he cleaned up, my cast preventing me from doing too much.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked me, extending his hand to me. I nodded, my free hand taking his. He pulled me to the middle of the living room, brought me a close as he could, the sling creating some restricted space between us.

"Having fun?" he asked me, swaying to the music, his eyes locked on me.

"Yes, of course. There's nowhere I'd rather be than in your arms," I told him, a loving smile gracing my lips.

"Good. Abigail?" he commented, leaning closer to my face.

"Hmm…?" I asked, wanting him to kiss me, to feel his warm, soft lips on mine.

"May I kiss you?" he asked, receiving a nod from me. His hand cupped the back of my head, his lips capturing my own in a tender kiss. We held it for a few seconds, sharing another one; we pulled back, our foreheads resting against each other's. We danced through a few more songs, my head resting against his shoulder and didn't notice our friends walk in through the door.

"I think some of us had a good first date," Tony's voice called out, startling us a little; heat flushed our faces.

"You two are so adorable, but how about we put on a movie and hang out for a little while," Sam stated, Bucky and I nodding. Tony turned off the music and turned on the T.V. pulling up a movie app; he selected a comedy and we sat back laughing at all the jokes in it. Once the movie came to an end, we retired for the night, Bucky and I returning to his room; I changed into one of his shirts, him into flannel pajama pants and climbed into the bed. We fell asleep next to each other, the love we had growing into something deeper.


	7. Cleaning Day

It had been six weeks since I had been released from the hospital meaning that I no longer needed the cast on my arm, the doctors cutting the cast off, freeing me. My arm had felt like rubber from being in it for so long, but it also meant that I could start my cleaning job in the compound. This day, however, I would find myself alone for the entire day. Early in the morning the sheets shifted a little causing me to stir thinking something was wrong; Bucky could've been having a nightmare and required my comfort.

This wasn't the case, of course. Bucky had gotten up on his own accord, my eyes cracking open at the sight of him wearing cargo pants and pulling a dark shirt over his head. He had just strapped on his combat vest when he heard my voice.

"Bucky? What time is it?" I asked, my voice hoarse with sleepiness I hadn't experienced in a long time, not since my days working at the doggie daycare.

"It's four a.m. I'm sorry if I woke you. We're headed out for a mission and we'll be gone most of the day. Go back to sleep if you can. I'll see you when we get back," he answered, kneeling by the bed, holding my hand.

"S'okay. Be safe. I love you,"

"I love you too. See you later this evening,"

He kissed me before standing up and walking out the door. I let myself drift off, my lips tingling from his kiss.

I woke up again three hours later to my alarm blaring loud from my phone, it being cleaning day after all. Groaning, I reached out, shutting it off and throwing off the covers; I sat up, my bare feet touching the soft, velvet carpet and stretched my arms above my head. The tank top I was wearing rose up enough to show a thin line of skin that was my stomach. I rolled my head in a circle, releasing the tension in my neck, spreading my toes as well; I was trying to get the blood flowing throughout my body. I stood up to my full five feet 1 inch height and walked over to my dresser picking out fresh underwear, a bra that was made for physical activity, a tank top and soft cotton shorts.

Changing quickly, I pulled my dark blonde hair into a ponytail and got to work. The plan was to clean up around the compound starting with both labs. Finding the cleaning supplies located in a supply closet downstairs in the hallway between the lounge and the kitchen, I made my way first to Tony's lab and then to Bruce's. I didn't know exactly how they liked to organize things, doing my best to leave the most important things visible in case they needed them at a later time.

"Miss Jensen? Would you like some music while you work?" the A.I. voice everyone called FRIDAY asked, startling me in the deafening silence.

"I…uh…yes. Please play pop music or just a mix of different tracks," I stated, resuming dusting down the desks.

"Yes Miss Jensen," the A.I. responded, an upbeat song playing over the speakers. I swept up the dirt on the floor before running a squirt mop over the swept areas making it sparkle, dancing to the music. Moving on to each Avenger's rooms I brought down the individual hampers downstairs to the laundry room, sorting the different sets of clothes; the clothing I wasn't sure how to wash I set aside for the dry cleaners. Once sorted by color and by Avenger I threw in the first load and set the hampers on the long counter space to put each of their clothes in once they were dry and folded.

Since I didn't know what to specifically hand I figured I'd leave that up to them later. I told FRIDAY to alert me when the washer and dryer timers went off so that I could switch out the different loads as I went about cleaning the rest of the compound. After that I decided to clean each room, vacuuming, dusting, and making the beds. I was almost done with Wanda's room-going back and forth to the laundry room to attend to the loads of laundry-I decided to see what time it was; FRIDAY telling me it was approaching one in the afternoon.

"It's time for lunch, I guess," I mumbled to myself. Retreating down to the kitchen I found only ramen noodles hanging out in the pantry, nothing much in the fridge par from yogurt, orange juice, and the usual condiments.

"Remind me to go to the store when I go out to the dry cleaners please FRIDAY?" I called out getting a short affirmative response. Pouring myself a cup of water while I waited for the noodles to heat up, I pondered what to fix for the next three days. It came down to spaghetti and meatballs, chicken, zucchini, and squash, finally deciding on tuna and asparagus for the third night; I also decided on picking up sandwich meat and bread in case someone didn't want my choices.

"How do I pay for this anyway?" I muttered to myself.

"Mr. Stark left a card for you in the briefing room when you recovered enough to start working," FRIDAY responded to my passing thought. _Oh, well that_ _was nice of him,_ I thought, a faint smile appearing on my lips. I finished lunch and sped through the last two rooms and put in another load of laundry, making the decision to head out after doing so. I silenced the music before I took the elevator down to the garage, grabbing the keys to my car from the key hooks, dry cleaning in hand and got in to leave for the store. Dropping off the dry cleaning after asking FRIDAY which one they usually go to, I went to a local supermarket to do some shopping. I picked up things I had compiled onto a list, throwing in two packs of chocolate chip cookies as a bonus and left; the dry cleaning would be able to pick up the next day.

Returning back to the compound, I unloaded the groceries and set to work on vacuuming the lounge and dusting off the tables, two loads of laundry left to do. I swept and mopped the kitchen, washing the dishes left in the sink, moving on to the training room; I repeated my previous steps of the other two rooms, straightening up the equipment after I was finished. I breathed in a sigh of relaxation, pleased with what I had accomplished today.

"Miss Jensen, it's now seven o'clock," FRIDAY informed me, the set reminder meaning that I needed to start dinner, tonight being spaghetti and meatballs. At this point I was sweaty from constantly moving around, so I took a quick shower, changing into pajama shorts and a tank top, making my way to the kitchen; I started crafting the meatballs with basil, salt, pepper and oregano, cooking them in pan with oil, adding the spicy tomato sauce once the meatballs had been cooked through. I let the sauce simmer, preparing the water for the pasta, occasionally stirring the sauce so it wouldn't burn.

As I was still waiting for the water to boil, my phone buzzed on the counter. Checking it, I saw the message from Bucky telling me it'd be nine before they'd get home; I'd be dining alone tonight. I sent back okay and texted him that I loved him receiving his 'I love you too' message he had sent in response. My attention returned to the now boiling water; I broke the pasta in sections, breaking the dry noodles in half, making it easier to fit in the pot. 11 minutes later, I strained the pasta from the hot water, spooning the noodles on a plate; the sauce and meatballs following suit. I sat down at the dining table, making sure everything was turned off with the stove.

"Hey FRIDAY, can you turn on the TV and find me a horror movie to watch?" I asked, not wanting to be in complete silence as I ate dinner. She turned it to a movie I'd seen before, that very horror movie still sending chills down my spine. Once I was finished my meal, I cleaned up, placing the leftovers in a large container and putting it in the fridge for later; maybe my friends would want some when they got home. Checking the time-the oven clock read 8:30- I decided on baking the cookies, setting the dough on two baking sheets since I bought two packs; there would be plenty for everyone when they returned. I resumed my horror movie binge, waiting on the couch while the cookies did their thing. I was comfortable under the blankets and completely in tune with the movie I was watching that I jumped when all of the Avengers burst in…well okay, they only walked in but their voices startled me.

"I really wanted to come home and…go to bed. Wow, it's super clean in here," Tony stated, his jaw dropping open taking everything in. His gaze landed on me and he swept his arms in a wide arc.

"Did you clean this entire place…in one day?" he asked, still in shock.

"Yeah, and I even made dinner for everyone. It's nothing fancy, just spaghetti and meatballs. Or if you don't want that, there's some sandwich meat and bread if you'd prefer. You're home a few minutes early, in time for cookies," I responded, the timer going off a second after I stopped speaking. I got up from the couch to go into the kitchen in order to pull the sheets out.

"Cookies? You made cookies? Bucky, dude, your girlfriend is amazing!" Sam spoke next, on my heels on the way to the kitchen.

"I know. It's why I love her," Bucky commented, leaning on the counter as I pulled out the pans, laying them out to cool.

"They're chocolate chip if that's okay. Oh, the laundry is done. I wasn't sure what to hand or fold so your clothes are folded neatly in the hampers. What I didn't know how to wash, I sent to the dry cleaners. Tony, Bruce, I tried my best to clean your labs but I wasn't sure how to organize thing but I left what I thought was important visible in case you needed it. What? Why are you staring at me like that?" I explained, surprised to see the bewildered looks on their faces.

"How the hell did we end up with someone so awesome like Abigail?" Natasha asked, popping part of a cookie in her mouth.

"Thank Bucky. If it weren't for him ambushing her on their first meeting, I don't think we'd have ever met her or experienced her amazing personality," Steve noted. Heat flooded my face, my eyes downcast, the compliments throwing me off guard. I felt someone caress my cheek, turning to look up at Bucky, who pulled me into a gentle kiss. When we pulled apart, the adoration in his eyes made my heart swell.

"You two make the most perfect couple. Come on; let's watch a feel-good movie before we go to bed. It'll help us relax from our long day," Steve said, grabbing a couple of cookies and sitting on one of the couches. Bucky and I joined him, Bucky pulling me into his lap, my head on his shoulder. Others made their dinners; some heated up the leftover pasta, some wanted sandwiches, either way the night ended with laughter and joy with the best company one could ever hope for.


	8. Two Dates, One Day

Two Dates, One Day

A few weeks into working and cleaning around the Avengers compound, a day came when I got some time off to relax and to spend more quality time with Bucky. Yes, there were the occasional nights where we'd lay on the couch and watch movies or dance with each other in the middle of the night when there was no one around to see us.

There were also nights where nightmares would come and I'd hold him until the fear passed, a gentle kiss on his cheek before we'd go back to sleep holding each other until seven in the morning when I'd start my day. There were days that they'd go on missions leaving me behind to fend for myself, but he'd always come back to me. He'd wrap me in his arms and kiss me like there was no tomorrow.

Today would be a wonderful day and I'd have Bucky to myself. It started out by us sleeping in until nine, getting up and having breakfast at a coffee shop that had become a favorite of ours, the atmosphere creating a cozy vibe and holding hands becoming our routine when we were near each other.

"What should we do today?" I asked, taking another bite from my blueberry muffin.

"I thought we could catch a matinee at the theater, maybe grab lunch after and then possibly take a nap at the compound for an activity later this evening," he stated.

"Sounds oddly specific. What is the activity later?" I asked, arching an eyebrow at his suggestion.

"_That_ is a surprise sweetheart. You'll have to wait to find out," he told me, smiling and bringing my hand to his lips, kissing it. I felt heat rush to my face, a timid smile appearing on my lips.

"A surprise huh? Well I do love a good surprise,"

"I know you do and this one is going to be great one. The matinee isn't until 11:30 so, no need to rush here. Though I do wish you'd sit closer to me,"

"Hmm. Well consider your wish granted," I told him, sliding into his side of the booth, his arm automatically wrapping around my shoulders. He cupped my jaw, tilting my head up to capture my lips in a kiss. He kissed me twice more before pressing a final one on my cheek, pulling me into his chest.

"I love you," he whispered, pressing his face into my hair, holding me tight.

"I love you too,"

I hugged him, breathing in his scent, his warmth surrounding me. We sat like this talking until around 11, heading to the theater to catch a romantic comedy, never letting go of each other. We shared a kiss or two during the movie, our focus not moving from the screen too much. Once the movie was over, however, things got a little quiet as people shot hateful looks our way…well his way mostly. Whispers from various moviegoers were overheard, Bucky instinctively gripping my hand tighter, his head down avoiding eye contact with those around us.

"_…Winter soldier,"_

_ "Who's the girl with him?"_

_ "Think she's his hostage…"_

People could be cruel and judgmental but they took their whispers too far. They didn't know him like I did, didn't know his heart. I squeezed his hand, a gesture to try and make him feel better.

"Bucky, ignore them. I love you and that's never going to change. Let's go grab lunch. A burger might help," I told him, rubbing soothing circles into the back of his hand. We exited, driving to the nearest diner, taking a seat in the back away from prying eyes. Alas, his attention was elsewhere; I guess the whispering still affected him.

"Bucky? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine,"

"Are you sure? You seem a little off ever since the theater,"

"Do you ever think of the future? Where you think you might be heading? What you want?" he asked me, throwing me off guard.

"Sometimes. Why?"

"Could you…can you see a future with me? Don't worry, I'm not asking you to marry me. Not yet anyway. I'm asking because every time I look at you or every time I'm with you, I can't imagine my life without you. But…those people, they see us and they think I'm going to hurt you because of the reputation I carried with me for so long. You don't know my past, don't know what I've done…"

"It doesn't matter. It's in the past. Bucky, I love you. You're just going to have to deal with that. I'm not going anywhere. Unless…you've decided you don't want me anymore," I stated, my heart slamming in my chest. I worried he was about to break things off and I hoped he wouldn't; that would shatter my heart into a million pieces.

"Not _want _you. Of course I want you. You're the only _one_ I want. I just…I don't want you to have any regrets. I don't want people trying to convince you that I'm not good enough for you. It occurred to me in the theater that people still hold my reputation as the Winter Soldier over my head, even though I'm not that person anymore," he told me, his blue eyes holding my gaze.

"Bucky, I'm not planning on going anywhere. I want you. No one can convince me to leave you. No one can take me away from you. I promise. There are no regrets here. You're my whole world,"

"Come here," he said, patting the booth. I got up, sitting next to him, his hands pulling my face to his, kissing me deeply.

"God, I love you so much," he told me.

"I love you too," I whispered back, kissing him again. We finished lunch, heading back to the compound, slipping into our room and lying down to take a nap, an adventure awaiting us in a few hours.

The alarm set on Bucky's phone woke us, our nap over. We were in each other's arms, my head on his bare chest; I trailed my hand down to lightly trace his stomach before getting up and changing into a blue tank top and jeans. I threw socks and shoes on, mildly distracted watching Bucky's muscles ripple as he pulled on a shirt, staring at his ass before he slid on a pair of charcoal jeans on.

"Like what you see?" he questioned, catching my staring. Immediately, my face flushed and I looked away embarrassed.

"Abigail, come over here please," he stated. I walked to him; he was fully dressed but he took my hands and slid them under his shirt. I felt his muscles on his chest, my fingers sliding to his back; Bucky shivered under my touch, his lips parting slightly.

"I love it when you touch me. It's so gentle and light. Come on, let's go grab dinner and then I'll take you to the surprise,"

I nodded withdrawing my hands from his shirt, settling on holding one hand in my own. We descended to the kitchen, fixing a sandwich before heading out.

"Tell me, when's the last time you went bowling?" he asked me, pulling up to a bowling alley, the neon sign shining bright, the moon high in the sky.

"It's been years. Is this what we're doing tonight?"

"Well it's not your typical bowling. It's midnight bowling where everything is lit up blue instead of the usual white fluorescent lights and the lanes turn neon green. I thought it might be fun. No one usually comes so it'll be just the two of us," he replied.

"That does sound like fun. I love this surprise. Thank you," I told him, super excited about the date. We got out and went inside, paying for four games; we got shoes and selected our balls going over to our lane. I won the first two games even though he tried to distract me, the distraction succeeding the next two games. After the games, he picked me up in his arms and kissed me passionately, the chemistry between us heating up.

"We…should go back…home," he told me, putting me down on the floor. His cheeks were flushed, desire in his eyes as he looked at me. I nodded. We put everything back and returned our shoes, leaving to return to the compound. When we got back, we quietly crept into our room, locking the door behind us.

He kissed me, his hands cupping my face, my hands wrapping around his neck. He pulled back, both of us breathing heavily. A warmth pooled below me but I willed myself not to push him too far if he didn't want to do anything. He kissed me again, this time walking us backwards to the bed, turning me so I could straddle his lap. We made out for a while, eventually leaning back against the mattress, still kissing, my hands sliding up his shirt, feeling his muscles before I pushed the fabric up.

He sat up, allowing me to shift it over his head, lying back down, continuing to kiss me. He flipped me over, lifting the hem of my shirt, suddenly moving back.

"Bucky? Everything okay?" I asked, not touching him just yet.

"Yes, just give me a minute okay?" he told me, controlling his breathing.

"All right. Do you want to stop? I wouldn't mind if you're not sure about…"

"No, it's not that. I'm a little nervous. It's been a long time since…" he told me, blushing.

"Okay, that's fine. We can take it slow. As slow as you want," I told him, rubbing his arms to comfort him.

"Are you sure? Are you positive you want to do this? I mean, I want to but I want to make sure you want to before we continue," he asked me, his hands resting on my arms.

"I'm sure. Like I said, just take it slow and if at one point you or I want to stop, just say something okay. I won't push you too far if it gets to be too much," I told him. He nodded, leaning down for another kiss. He rolled over, preferring for me to be on top of him while we kissed. He nibbled on my lip, begging for entrance; I allowed him to slip his tongue inside my mouth, my hands pressed against his chest, not moving any further until he was ready.

He lifted my shirt up and over my head, my hair falling over one shoulder, continuing our heated make-out session, his hands wrapped around my back. He unhooked my bra, moving the straps off my shoulders, tossing it to the floor, allowing his hands to freely travel up and down my back. He moved them around the front, gently cupping my breasts, his thumbs tracing around the nipples. I gasped at the touch, one warm from his right hand, the other cool as the metal rubbed against my sensitive skin.

"Are you okay?" he mumbled against my lips, pausing his movements.

"Yeah, I'm good. Keep going, everything's okay," I told him. Bucky moved his lips to my neck, kissing there, trailing a line of light smooches to the middle of my chest before taking one breast in his mouth, his tongue tracing a circle around the nipple. I moaned, my hands tangling in his hair, more heat pooling at my center. He repeated the same motion with the other breast, massaging them as he captured my lips again with his.

He stopped briefly to unbutton my jeans and unzipping them, having me stand up and slip them off of my legs. I hesitated with his, looking to him for approval.

"You're fine. Go ahead. It's okay," he told me, taking my hands and placing them on the edge of his pants. I unbuttoned them, unzipping them and shoved them off, both of us in our underwear. He pulled me back into his lap, kissing me again, his hands traveling down to squeeze my ass, lying back down, our hands linked together until he released one of my hands to trail under my panties, hesitating until I helped him push them off of me.

"Are you sure?" he asked, being a gentleman about everything.

"I'm sure," I whispered, allowing him to slip a finger inside my body. He stroked my folds, eliciting a moan from my lips, my hips bucking against his hand. He worked me slow, increasing his pace gradually, my hands gripping his shoulders as I came undone around his hand. He removed his hand and I felt the bulge in his underwear.

"May I?" I asked him, hooking a finger underneath the elastic waistband of his boxers. He nodded and I pulled them off, revealing all of him. I gripped him in my hands, stroking him as moans poured out of his mouth, his hands gripping the sheets.

"Abigail, please. I need to…" he called out, removing my hand from him. He sat up, leaning over to the nightstand and pulling out a condom from the top drawer. He flipped me onto my back, removing his boxers completely, slipping on the condom.

"I'm going to ask you on more time. Are you sure about this?" he asked me lying down on top of my body, our chests pressed close to each other's.

"I'm sure. I've never been surer in my life than in this moment right now. I want you. I want this," I told him, kissing him.

"Okay, doll. I'm going to go slow. I don't know how long it's been for you and I don't want to hurt you. If you think it's too much, we can stop. Just tell me okay," he stated, spreading my legs, aligning himself with my entrance.

"Okay. I trust you," I told him. He kissed me, long and slow, his metal hand slipping inside my body, slicking me up in order to take him a little easier. He slid into me, stretching me. I grunted, feeling a little tight around him.

"Are you all right? I'm not hurting you too much right? You're very tight and I don't want to go any further if it hurts too much,"

"I'm fine. It's been a while, maybe a year or so. Just go slow," I told him, gripping his shoulders.

"It's just a little more. Squeeze me tight as you adjust,"

He slid all the way in, a moan escaping my lips, my nails digging in.

"Are you ready?"

"Hang on a second. I just need…alright you may continue," I told him, shifting a little, his size feeling comfortable as I did so. He pumped into me slow and gentle, picking up a rhythm for the both of us. My hands moved around to his back, the muscles rippling under my fingertips, his lips pressing against mine. He picked up the pace, lots of moans coming from us, our hands finding each other and lacing together as we made love.

"Can I be top now?" I asked him, earning a smile from him as he rolled over, allowing me to ride him, our hands still linked. We both came a few times that night, switching positions until we were both a sweaty mess, limbs entangling with each other like pretzels.

"That was the perfect way to end tonight," I told him, my hand caressing his face and kissing him.

"I agree. Are you sure you okay? I wasn't too rough with you," Bucky stated.

"No, you were amazing. I'm perfect. I'm extremely happy about this. I love you," I replied. He kissed me again, tucking me closer to his body.

"I'm glad. I'm happy too. I love you so much. I always will," he told me. We fell asleep, drifting off into dreamland, the bond we had increasing exponentially.


	9. A Party and Exhaustion

A few days after Bucky and I slept together, my schedule started to pick up the pace a little in preparation for a party this weekend. I cleaned more frequently than usual and constantly received concerned looks from the others.

"I think your girlfriend has gone insane. She's cleaning like a crazy person," I heard Sam say to Bucky in the middle of the week.

"She's fine. I think she only wants the place to look fantastic for the party," he stated, watching as I moved furniture out of the way to vacuum underneath where it had been sitting. Dust had piled up from chairs and couches not being moved enough and it took a while to vacuum, the dust sticking to the floor like adhesive. "Have you asked her yet? Maybe she could go get something nice to wear. Have her take a mini break. She might be stressing herself out too much," Sam commented, the first part catching my attention.

"Asked me what?"

Both men turned to face me, surprised that I had heard their "private" conversation.

"I wanted to wait until dinner tonight to ask you but I guess I'll ask you now. Would you like to accompany me to the party on Saturday? It's nothing fancy. We're just celebrating a couple of big wins and some others are coming in to celebrate with us," Bucky said.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm not really part of the team. I'm not sure I want to crash it. I could just stay in my room or go see a movie. I love you but I just don't know if should be in attendance," I told him, wringing my hands, a nervous habit of mine when I was afraid to meet new people. I knew I was a huge part of my friends' life, especially Bucky's, but I only cleaned for them; I never helped out with battles or missions.

"I don't think you'll be crashing the party. Besides we'll all be there and we could have some fun. There's dancing and an open bar. Why don't you go ahead and buy a dress in case you change your mind. I'd really like you to come but I understand if you don't want to," Bucky told me. He smiled at me but I could tell he was disappointed with my answer. I did want to go; I only thought I would be boring or not entertaining since I didn't know what happened when they went on missions.

"Okay, I'll go out in a little while. I need to finish in here first. I'll think about it okay," I stated, resuming my work until around one in the afternoon. I quickly changed into something casual before finding Natasha and Wanda to accompany me to go shopping for dresses.

"Hey, Abigail if you find something you really like, you're welcome to charge it to my card I gave you," Tony commented before we left the compound.

"That's very generous but…"

"No, I don't want to hear it. You've worked too hard this week. I appreciate it. Go and buy yourself a few nice things. You've earned it. Remember, you're family to us," he told me, shooting me a smile. I nodded and exited the front entrance with Nat and Wanda. We drove to a dress shop in downtown Manhattan, the dresses before us shining in all fabrics and colors. As we walked around the shop to browse the racks of dresses, silk, satin, sateen, and chiffon surrounding me, I saw it. It was a dress that could capture anyone's attention. It sat in the middle of the rack, the silver silk gloriously smooth to the touch. I pulled it out, the swish of fabric rustling against it. I looked it over, the skinny straps being the only thing holding it up, as it appeared to be backless.

It was floor length, the silk pooling at my feet. I brought it over to the mirrors, holding it up to my body, admiring it before going to put it back in its place. I thought that I shouldn't buy it, nerves getting the better of me at the thought of the party.

"Abigail, no. Go try it on. It's perfect. Go on now. Put it on," Nat's voice stopped me as she came around the corner of the same row I was on.

"I couldn't possibly…"

"Go try it on. Come on, it'll look great," Wanda stated, joining her and pushing me back to the fitting rooms. Sighing in defeat, I placed it on the hook and stripped out of my clothes, staring at the gorgeous dress in front of me.

"Oh, what the hell. It couldn't hurt," I muttered to myself as I took it off the hanger, slipping the dress over my head. I arranged it so it sat comfortably on my body, examining myself in the mirror.

"Show us. Come out. We want to see what it looks like," Natasha commented. I stepped out from behind the dark curtain, watched as their jaws dropped open. I spun around to show them the back before facing them again.

"Bucky is going to lose it when he sees you in that. You have to get it. Wait, let's find you some shoes to go with it," Wanda stated, running off to search for some shoes to pair with the dress.

"That's if I decide to go," I mentioned.

"Why wouldn't you go? Bucky will be your date and we're going…oh, you're nervous about meeting the others," Nat stated, realizing why I hesitated going to the party.

"It's not just that but I'm not really a part of the team. I don't think I'll fit in," I told her.

"_Not fit in?_ Abigail, you fit in perfectly with us. I know you don't have any special abilities or come fight with us but you are a part of us whether you like it or not. Not to mention you're very much part of Bucky's life. You two love each other like I've never seen and believe me, I've seen it all. Even Tony and Pepper can't compete with how much you two love each other. You're like two puzzle pieces that connect perfectly," She told me, when Wanda returned with three pairs of shoes.

"What's going on? Are you really worried about fitting in? You shouldn't. You should come to the party. It'll be fun," Wanda commented. I tried on all three pairs, falling in love with the second pair that had a Celtic looking design on it.

"I'll think about it. I'm just nervous that I'll be less entertaining," I told them.

"You won't. In case you haven't noticed, you're fun to be around. You're definitely getting that dress and those shoes. They're perfect," Natasha told me. I nodded, the idea of going to the party growing on me. We left the shop, grabbing lunch before heading back to the compound so I could finish cleaning and eat dinner with Bucky, retiring for the night.

Party Night

I helped Tony and Steve set up the lounge for the party, making sure everything looked okay for the guests; sweat dripped from my forehead while preparing tables for food and rearranging the furniture to accommodate for the people coming over.

"I can't believe you invited Strange. I thought you couldn't stand the guy," Steve commented, grunting as he pushed the couch back to make room for a dance floor.

"Well, he's helped out with a lot of missions. It'd be rude not to have him here. Abigail, can you vacuum the floor so it looks a little better?" Tony responded. I nodded and plugged it in to get the remaining dust up, making the hardwood floor sparkle against the dim lighting.

"Thanks. Have you made up your mind about if you're coming down or not?" he asked me. I shrugged my shoulders, retreating to the confines of the room Bucky and I shared. I had, in fact decided to go but I wanted it to be a surprise for them all. Entering the room, I slammed into a half-dressed Bucky, who caught me before I fell to the floor.

"East there. Don't want you to get hurt," he greeted me, pulling me into a kiss. Wanting more of him, I kept my lips locked on him, pulling him closer to my body. He pulled back smiling, a twinkle in his eyes.

"I don't think we have enough time to play around sweetheart. I've got to get ready for tonight. Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I get nervous around new people," I answered, keeping the secret to myself. I hated not telling him but that was the point of the surprise.

"Alright, we'll be celebrating most of the night if you decide to join us. I do wish you'd come with me. I wouldn't mind your company," he told me, slipping on his white button up shirt and securing the buttons. He then put on a tie, the jacket slipping on, completing the look.

"You look handsome, sweetie. Have fun," I told him, kissing Bucky on the cheek. He turned to capture my lips in a final kiss before leaving the room to join the party. As soon as the door clicked behind him, I locked it, putting my plan into action.

Showering, I rinsed off the sweat I acquired from cleaning earlier, taking a short amount of time so I didn't miss too much time. Drying off, I blow-dried my hair before curling it, dark blonde waves resting on my breasts. I did my makeup – black eyeliner with a cat-eye wing, silver eye-shadow that made the ice blue color of my eyes stand out and pink lip gloss, sheer enough to make my lips appear fuller – and walked out to the bedroom.

I opened the wardrobe and pulled out the silver, backless dress, slipping it on, no underwear underneath it, the slit of the dress not quite reaching my tailbone but low enough to stun those in the room. I sat down to put my feet into the heels and glanced at myself in the mirror assessing how I looked.

Satisfied, I made my way down to the party, taking a deep breath before I opened the doors to the lounge.

Bucky's POV  
I was mid-conversation with Steve and Sam when the room went quiet; chatter ceasing to look at something or someone. Even my friends had silenced, looking over my shoulders, jaws dropped open in awe.

"What is it? Is Tony doing something stupid or interesting?" I asked.

"Bucky, Abigail's here. She looks fantastic. Look at the stairs. Everyone else is," Steve stated. Furrowing my brow in confusion, I turned in the direction of the stairs; what I saw took my breath away. There she stood, long dark blonde hair cascading in waves to her chest, stunning make-up making her features stand out. The dress, silver in color flowing to the floor, her shoulders another highlight I couldn't tear my gaze from. I felt myself move towards her, the crowd parting to make it easier and approached the steps were my beloved stood.

'You came' were the only words I could muster out as I extended my arm for her to take.

"Surprise. I decided to be your date tonight. Sorry I didn't tell you but I wanted to surprise everyone. I wanted to be here with you. I love you," She told me, linking her arm with mine and led her down the steps to where I had been with Steve and Sam.

"Hello, Abigail. I'm glad you decided to come tonight. That dress is stunning on you," Steve greeted her.

"Thank you. I wanted to have fun this evening. Maybe dance with Bucky as well," she replied, turning to me, pure adoration in her eyes. My breath caught in my throat causing me to clear it before I asked my question.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please. Just water for now," she told me, unlinking her arm from mine. I nodded and went over to the bar grabbing two waters, one for her and the other to quench my thirst as my throat went dry from seeing her. Walking back over to my friends, I handed Abigail her water just as Stephen Strange walked over to us.

"I don't believe I've seen you around here before. Are you a new recruit?" he asked her. She giggled and shook her head.

"I'm only a cleaner but I do live here with them," she told him.

"You must do a wonderful job if the compound looks as amazing as it does," Stephen stated.

"It's my special talent Mr.?"

"Doctor. Doctor Stephen Strange. And you are?"

"Abigail Jensen. Nice to meet you," she introduced herself. She had a way of interacting with others with ease despite being nervous around them, getting comfortable as she got to know them. Everyone loved talking to her but I was surprised when Strange asked his next question.

"Care to dance?"

"Actually, I think I'd like to share this one with my boyfriend. What do you say Bucky? Want to dance?" she answered, turning to me, extending her hand.

"Sure. Let me put our drinks down first," I told her, taking her cup and placing both cups on the table next to Steve and Sam and linking my fingers with hers.

"Forgive me. I didn't know you two were dating," Stephen commented, a slight flush to his cheeks.

"That's okay. No harm done. It really is a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can be friends. Only friends though because you see, I'm completely in love with Bucky," she told him, smiling before following me to the dance-floor. I placed one hand on the small of her back, pulling her close; I took her other hand in my left and leaned down to kiss her.

"Completely in love with me are you?" I asked. She grinned, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Yes. I love you Bucky Barnes. With all my heart, with everything I have," she answered, as we continued to sway with each other, slow music background noise to our ears.

"That's good to know because I'm completely in love with you too," I told her. Her grin spread and she placed her head against my chest, the smell of her coconut shampoo hitting my nose.

"You know if you wanted to dance with him, I wouldn't have minded. I don't think he could've competed with me anyway," I told her, earning a laugh.

"No, of course not. You're the best thing to have happened to me. There's no one I'd rather be with,"

At that, she looked up and kissed me, sparks moving throughout my body. The song ended and another slow one came on. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to face Steve.

"Mind if I share a dance with your girlfriend?" he asked. I shook my head, kissing Abigail again before letting him take her in his arms. I started a conversation with Clint and Natasha while waiting on the song to end and for them to join us by the couches. The night went on until around two in the morning. We had talked and laughed, Abigail had taken off her shoes and sitting in my lap as we did so. She fit in perfectly with us, someone who was meant to be a part of our family.

Fatigue set in and we retired to bed, Tony allowing Strange to stay in one of the spare bedrooms since it got too late for him to return to the Sanctum. Abigail and I returned to the privacy of our room; I kissed her once the door shut, hands sliding down to her back.

"Thank you for coming tonight. You looked beautiful," I told her, removing my hands to take off my jacket and tie. Pulling her close, I walked backwards to the bed, sitting down so she could straddle my lap as we kissed.

"You were handsome tonight. I'm glad I joined you. I had so much fun," she stated, her fingers unbuttoning my shirt and shoving it down my arms, tossing it to the floor. I slid off the straps of her dress, exposing her breasts, letting the silk pool at her hips. Kissing her, I laid down, my hands staying on her hips. Her hands moved down to unbuckle my belt and unbutton my pants, unzipping them to pull them off of me. The dress slid off, leaving her naked before me. She came back to straddle me, her lips on mine again. Our fingers linked but we never moved past making out as we ended up cuddling and soon fell asleep, holding each other close.

Abigail's POV

My alarm for 7 a.m. went off and I reached over Bucky to shut it off and get up for the day. As I tried to slide out from the covers, a pair of arms encircled my waist, preventing me from going anywhere.

"Stay. Don't go clean," Bucky said. I giggled, turning my body to kiss his cheek.

"I have to. It's my job. Can't leave the lounge a mess," I told him. I tried moving again but he kept me in his grip.

"No. Ten more minutes, please?" he begged.

"Fine. Ten minutes and then I have to get up," I gave in, snuggling into him. We held each other, his fingers tracing my back, mine tracing his arms and chest before moving to touch his lips. He kissed my fingertips, flipping me over to kiss my lips. He moved to my neck, about to go lower until the alarm went off again. He groaned as our time limit was reached, kissing me again and releasing me to get dressed.

"Maybe we can play a little later," I told him, kissing him again before going downstairs to clean. The lounge wasn't too bad, just cups and plates sitting on the various tables set up. I got a few trash bags and hung them up as I threw out liquids in the sink, some of them placed in the trash if they couldn't be drained. The plates I just disposed of, carrying the trash bags outside to the garbage cans. I came back inside and brought out the vacuum and moved it around the lounge picking up any dirt or dust lying about before wiping down counters and tables, putting away any that didn't need to be out.

As usual each Avenger had to pass by me to go to the kitchen and as usual Tony was the first to descend the steps, shortly followed by Stephen Strange, who I met last night.

"Stark, she's cleaning. She's dating Barnes and she's cleaning," he told him.

"I can hear you. I told you I clean here. I love Bucky. If that was meant as an insult, it won't get you any friendship points with me," I stated, laughing when Strange paled.

"I didn't mean…you two make a cute couple. I was just stating…"

"Strange, she's messing with you. Right, Abigail?" Tony remarked, casting me an arched eyebrow look.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Would you two gentlemen like some coffee? Oh, hello sweetie. Breakfast anyone?" I stated, wrapping Bucky in an embrace when he came downstairs.

"Please. What's on the menu this morning?" Tony asked.

"Eggs, bacon, toast. Nothing special or fancy,"

"Great, I'm starving,"

I prepared breakfast, making enough for everyone as they started filing in. I had help setting the table thanks to Tony, Steve, and Bucky while I put out the food and went to sit down.

"Nope. You're sitting in my lap today," Bucky stated, grabbing me and plopping my butt on his thigh, his metal arm wrapping around my waist.

"Not for long. Looks like we've got a mission to go on," Steve stated when phones all around the table went off.

"Sorry, baby. I'll try to get back as soon as I can," Bucky told me, finishing up his breakfast and placing me on the floor. Just as quick as they came in, the faster they left, running upstairs to change for their mission. I had started washing the dishes when they came back down, Bucky giving me a kiss before leaving.

"Be safe. Same goes for everyone else," I told them. The entrance closed leaving me alone for another full day. I spent most of it cleaning and ate dinner alone once again, settling in on the couch with a book, my energy depleted. I felt my lids drooping and soon sleep took over me.

Bucky's POV  
It was close to midnight when we returned home, Strange departing to the Sanctum once everything was over. The battle itself didn't take too long but the debriefing and arrests took what felt like ages, weariness setting in upon us all. I wanted to get back and spend time with Abigail but with it being late there was a chance that it wouldn't happen. In fact, when I walked into the compound, I found her asleep on the couch, book in hand and curled up under a soft plush blanket.

"How does she do it? Abigail! Hey-,"

"Sh. She's asleep. Don't be so loud," I snapped at Thor.

"She must have over done it today. Between the cleaning after the party and the other chores she does, she's probably exhausted," Steve told me.

"I'm going to take her to bed. Get some rest myself. We've been working hard as well. I'm exhausted,"

"No kidding. Oh, I've got it. We should go on vacation. Want to go on a beach trip?" Tony commented. Soft cheers went around the room so to not wake Abigail.

"Make it somewhere quiet. Somewhere we can relax," Natasha suggested.

"Outer Banks it is. Most likely it'll be Hatteras or Rodanthe but we can rent a giant house and have our own private pool. It'll be fun," Tony stated.

"Great. Plan the details later. Right now I'm going to bed and taking Abigail with me," I said, lifting her in my arms, tucking her book in tight.

"Need any help?" Steve asked but I shook my head.

"I've got her. Good night," I answered.

"When are you going to marry her?" I heard him ask as I walked up to our room to go to bed.

"I don't know. I hope it's someday soon," I whispered to an empty hallway, opening the door. I carried Abigail to the bed, setting her down and placing her book on the nightstand. I lifted her body to tuck her under the covers before changing into something comfortable and slipping in beside her. She turned and pulled me close to her as I let my eyes close and soon began dreaming of marriage. I thought it might come undone in a few weeks after someone brought out a part of me that hadn't been seen in a while. What I didn't expect is that her effect on me would take over that dark side of as well and would bring us closer, forming a bond that would remain forever.


	10. Vacation Time

Abigail's POV

Soft lips against mine woke me from slumber, my hands sliding up the warm chest of my companion, Bucky, who kissed me again breaking down my walls to slip his tongue inside my mouth. He pulled my body flush against his, rolling onto his back allowing me to be on top, the kissing never ending.

A sensual moment never moving past second base, subtle touches lingering every so often. Finally, the two of us left breathless, the first whispered words of the early flew by his lips.

"How do you feel about taking a vacation?" Bucky's hands drifted up and down my back, slipping under the fabric of my shirt, a sweet, sleepy smile gracing his lips; those magical blue eyes of his had a twinge of desire in them, our moment from earlier increasing his hunger for me. My own fingers stroked his hair as I lay flat against him, enjoying the heat which radiated off his body.

"A vacation? Are the Avengers allowed to do such a thing?" I asked, my lips twisting into a playful grin. He chuckled, the vibration from his chest tickling my breasts. Leaning up, he gave me another kiss before answering my question.

"Of course. We all get exhausted from time to time. Sometimes we need a break and relax a little. Though it won't only be the two of us. Tony thought about renting out a house in the Outer Banks, so we'll be with most of the team. If you'd like, we can figure out things to do on our own,"

"Hmm…a vacation sounds marvelous. When do we leave?" I asked, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"In an hour. If you need to pack, you can start now," he informed me.

"Let's cuddle for a few more minutes. I'm enjoying this moment," I nuzzled as close to his as I could get, warmth enveloping me all over. Bucky's arms wrapped around me, securing my body a few extra minutes, his steady breathing giving me comfort. In his arms, I knew I was safe, protected. In his arms, being with him, I was home.

_Home. You're my forever. My true love, _I thought, a small smile creeping onto my lips.

"Okay. Time to pack," I stated, climbing off of him to pull out a suitcase from my closet. I packed the essentials; toiletries, clothes, swimsuits, a nice outfit in case of a fancy night out, and a sweater for colder nights. Pulling out a smaller bag, I stuffed in my chargers and headphones if I found myself alone. On top of the clothes and everything else, I threw in a few books, not too many, anticipating other sorts of "fun" I could be getting into.

Packing took around half an hour; more than enough time to change into comfy sweats for the short plane ride and drive down to the beach. Plenty of time to rejoin Bucky in the bed for another 15 minutes, leaving the room a few minutes after cuddling to meet everyone downstairs to ride to the airport.

Bucky's POV

It didn't take long to get down to the Outer Banks, Duck to be more precise; Abigail by my side most of the time. Due to the early morning, she slept most of the car ride on the way and I woke her at our arrival. We had to take two vehicles because of the large group; Tony, Wanda, Vision, Sam, and Bruce in one SUV and Steve, Natasha, Thor, Loki, Abigail and me in the other. Stephen Strange had to deal with his own troubles and Clint opted out to spend time with his own family. Pepper, Tony's fiancé would join us on Wednesday.

"Head on up. Find a room for us. I'm going to help Steve and Tony unload. I'll meet you in a few minutes," I told Abigail when we got out of the SUV, we had rode in. She nodded and, grabbing her suitcase and disappeared inside with Wanda and Natasha. I pulled out a couple of boxes full of snacks and games, lugging them up the steps and to the kitchen. On the way back down, I ran into Steve with his suitcase, a curious look on his face.

"Any plans to get a ring for Abigail yet?" he asked.

"No, not this week. Maybe next week. Her birthday is next Thursday. I thought it'd be a good time to get her a gift and make arrangements for a ring as well," I answered, heat flushing my face; my entire body in reality. It's no secret I'd been thinking about marrying Abigail. Of course, she had no idea and I planned to keep it that way until I was ready to propose to her.

I loved her and she became my world, my home. Less nightmares occurred now that she moved in; she'd calm me down when one popped up, a magic she never knew she carried.

"It's great you've found someone who has made you happy. She's a wonderful soul to have around. I'm positive nothing will separate the love you two have," Steve told me, patting my shoulder.

"Not unless someone triggers…" I said, unable to finish the sentence. The problem with being known as the Winter Soldier involved a string of words which triggered me into becoming the lethal assassin I'd been brainwashed into.

"I'm not sure even _it_ could break you apart. Maybe we can talk to T'Challa about getting it out of your mind when we get back,"

"You don't know that. What if…"

"Buck, she survived torture because of the love for you. I believe she could survive the Winter Soldier. There's something different about her. Even for a simple civilian who we adore," he reassured me. I nodded and resumed unloading the two vehicles. When the final box made it upstairs, I found Abigail on the top floor, standing on the balcony, peering out on the ocean. I wrapped my arms around her from behind, my chin resting on her head.

"Magnificent. It's peaceful, tranquil. I could stay here forever. With you by my side until we grow old," She said, her fingers linking with mine. She leaned back against me, new feelings stirring inside my heart.

"Abigail, I…"

"I know you have to continue saving the world. You have responsibilities. All I'm saying is I want my life to end with you. Only you. You're my home," she continued.

"I want that too. More than you know," I whispered. She angled her body in a way to pull me down for a kiss. Who knew so much passion could exist within a kiss? Our kisses always had fireworks going off in my head, pleasant tingles shooting through my body. This kiss differed from most kisses we shared. It had enough electricity in it which made my heart flutter, my breath falter; the whole world stood still for a few moments. We pulled back, out of breath, our eyes full of desire.

"Want to…" I suggested.

"Yes. Close the door. Join me in the shower," she responded. She removed her body from my grasp and headed to the bathroom leaving me to follow suit. I closed our bedroom door, entering the bathroom, stripping out of my clothes, the water ready for me to join Abigail. I opened the glass door, stepping in and folding my arms over her, our lips connecting like magnets. I backed her against the wall, my hands ghosting over her breasts. She moaned in my mouth, her hands tangling in my wet hair. Moving my lips to her neck, I found a sweet spot, sucking it, making more delicious moans escape her mouth.

My hands moved further south, spreading her legs apart, allowing me to insert two fingers inside her folds. Heavy breathing and moans exited her throat as I worked her, my own arousal building. I removed my fingers, lifting her hips to wrap her legs around my waist. I pumped my cock a few times and thrust into her body, both of us not holding back with pleasure. My lips found hers again as I thrust into her over and over, bringing us to our release. She came crying out my name, her walls clenching tight around me, sending me over the edge, both of us riding out our high.

"I love you," she stated, breathing hard.

"I love you too," I said, pulling out and setting her down on the floor.

"What do you say to a walk on the beach before dinner?" she asked.

"I'd say it's a perfect idea," We turned off the water and dried off, changing into shorts and t-shirts to venture out onto the shore hand in hand.

Abigail's POV – Wednesday

The first two days of vacation went by in a flash consisting of swimming, game nights, and walks along the beach. Pepper joined us in the afternoon, disappearing off with Tony to so something similar to activities which Bucky and I had done on the first day. Tonight, Bucky and I decided to deviate from drinking with our friends, opting to go out to a nice Italian restaurant instead. I dressed in a classic black dress and black heels, my hair in curls and makeup kept to a minimum; Bucky dressed in a white button up shirt and brown trousers, brown shoes to match, his hair combed back – a sight to behold.

We had wine and pasta – what else are you going to eat at an Italian restaurant.

"Do you want to watch a movie when we get back? We'll have the house to ourselves. No one to bother us," he stated, twirling around noodles on his fork.

"Sure. I'd enjoy a quiet night with a movie. We can have loads of cuddle time," I replied. We shared a dessert – Italian lemon cake – and returned to the house. The recreation room downstairs had theater room connected to it beside the pool table and it's where we decided to spend the last hours of the night. I gathered up blankets while Bucky started up the Blu-ray player. He loaded a movie and joined me on the couch.

"Sit in my lap. Snuggle close," he requested. I lifted up the blankets as I adjusted my body to get comfortable in his lap, wrapping us both in the soft gray fleece. He pressed play, the music of Phantom of the Opera coming to life.

"My favorite. I've always loved the Phantom," I commented, unbuttoning two buttons of Bucky's shirt to brush my fingers against his chest. He shivered, pulling me closer to him, his cheek pressed against my head. The night became one of my favorites, which would lead to something the following week.

Bucky's POV – Friday

The week ended prompting us to return to the compound. Thursday had been spent lying in bed underneath the sheets, making love or watching movies; it rained the entire day, nothing else better to do during the gray, solemn day. As we packed up, I planned to run out for a little while to pick up Abigail's birthday gift and more importantly…a ring. I didn't plan to propose to her on her birthday but a few days later. I knew she would say yes, no worries about our future together.

As I sat on the plane with her, our hands linked together, I knew the time was right. I didn't want to let her go, I needed her to be my wife. The thought of the Winter Soldier didn't cross my mind when we returned home, didn't worry me as I shopped around. I should have been prepared for the day when an enemy triggered the other part of me, the dangerous part. No one could foresee the effect Abigail had on it, on him; not until she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.


	11. Surprise Party

Abigail's POV

My alarm went off to start the cleaning and I shut it off before sitting up. Stretching, I turned to see…the bed empty. Sighing, I figured Bucky had gotten up to go on a mission or training. I slid out from the covers and changed into cleaning gear. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and descended the stairs to start the day, despite it being my birthday. _We can always celebrate later tonight, _I thought. I rounded the corner of the kitchen – the first section I began cleaning in – and collided into someone's back.

Bucky's. He turned to me, a wide smile stretching his lips.

"Good morning Abigail," he said, pulling me into an embrace. "Happy birthday," he whispered in my ear. Releasing me, he kissed my lips. Distracted by the taste of him, I didn't notice he had taken the cleaning supplies out of my hands.

"Sam, you can start here. Steve, you're in charge of the living room. Tony-,"

"Wait. What's going on?" I asked, interrupting Bucky's orders to the men, who I hadn't seen until he called attention to them.

"We're going to take over the cleaning today. You will be going with Wanda, carol and Nat to the movies and then lunch, maybe shopping. You decide," he told me. I arched an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, okay. But I usually do…"

"Take the day off. We've got this," Tony said.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind helping,"

"We had to do our own cleaning before you came here. Don't worry. Go have fun with the girls," Steve answered.

"O…kay. I feel like you're up to something,"

"Abigail! Let's go. Change into something cure. Movies okay?" Natasha shouted, linking her arm through mine and tugging me away.

"But-,"

"We're not up to anything. Have fun," Bucky told me. He winked and turned to resume giving out orders. I still had my suspicions but went back to our room to change into a red tank top and blue jean shorts. I switched from my tennis shoes to a pair of black converses and met the girls at the entrance to go out for the day. I didn't expect what would be waiting for me when we got back to the compound later that night.

Bucky's POV

Today was Abigail's birthday and I wanted to do something special. I knew she would set her alarm to 7 in the morning for her cleaning duties, so I got up earlier. I roused the others from sleep, rang Stephen Strange to come over and laid out a plan. To surprise her.

"I want to throw her a surprise party. Nat, can you get her out of the compound? I don't want her to see us setting everything up," I said.

"Sure. We'll go see a movie, go shopping for a few hours. Wanda, Carol? Care to join us?" she replied.

"Yeah. I'm down for a girls' day out," Carol said.

"Good. The rest of us can clean up and set up things for the party," I went over details; the cake, the theme, the time so the girls could get back in time. I wanted her to celebrate with everyone, her family. I'd celebrate more with her later after everyone retired to their rooms. I had the gift wrapped and ready. She'd only have to unwrap it. I only hoped she would like it. I also had another gift, but I wanted to wait a few more days before I officially proposed to her.

I smiled thinking about the day we'd marry. She'd be with me forever and I couldn't wait.

"She'll be down any minute. How will you get the supplies from her?" Steve asked.

"Simple. Distract her," I said. Which is exactly what I did. I gave out orders, sections where everyone needed to be. Strange arrived a half an hour later to begin the set up. It would be in the lounge downstairs where we had the banquet a few months ago, the decorations for her surprise party a little more lavish. The theme was based off her favorite musical; Phantom of the Opera. The lounge would set up to resemble the masquerade scene; everyone dressed up in gowns and suits. I gave Wanda and Nat specific instructions for Abigail's dress for the party, suggesting the shopping option. I hoped they would help pick out the best dress and mask.

"Any plans to propose to her?" Strange asked. We were hanging the lights. My hands faltered for a moment. I shifted my gaze to the wizard, and he chuckled.

"You both looked completely in love with each other at the banquet. I'm surprised you weren't already engaged then," he continued.

"I'm waiting for the right time. It won't be tonight. Maybe in a few days. You're right. I love her most ardently. I want it to be perfect. Traditional. At dinner or…there's always one of the gazebos in Central Park," I stated, resuming tying the lights to the ceiling.

"You've certainly figured things out. How did up you meet her? I don't imagine it was that easy. I know we're around civilians, but most don't treat us as she does,"

"I didn't meet her in the conventional sense. I was being pursued by someone, an enemy and somehow found myself neat her former place of work. A dog daycare. I sort of ambushed her by getting into her car. She brought me to her apartment, and she bandaged me up,"

"Wait. What happened? How did she end up doing that?"

"Oh, uh, I got shot. In my right arm. I'm amazed at how calm she was that night. Still amazed at how she was able to calm me,"

"She might have the ability to be a calm effect," Strange stated.

"We thought so too. But she volunteered to be tested a few months ago. Nothing. It's just her personality. No ability whatsoever," I said. This was true. She had come down to the lab one day, curious to see what new tech Tony was working on asked to see if she had any secret ability.

'I assumed I didn't have one, but I've not been tested to be sure. Maybe it's hidden,' She had said. She sat on a bench while Tony scanned her for any ability and the results had been negative.

'It's probably due to all that compassion and kindness you have. That in itself is powerful alone,' I told her.

'Plus, all my love for you. As well as everyone else. I love you the most. You're my favorite person in the world,' She said, pulling me down for a kiss.

"Must be some memory you have there," Strange stated.

"She provides some of the best ones," I commented. We continued setting up, putting last minute details into place. The cake was ordered in, so we didn't cross path with Abigail and eventually we changed into the outfits for the party.

"I'll text Nat to bring her back. Get in position," I stated, turning off the lights, shrouding us in darkness.

Abigail's POV

The first thing we did while out was catch a movie; a little rom com we could giggle and fawn over the cuteness overload. This was followed by lunch – burgers, wings and fries – food we really loved.

"So, shopping? There's a place downtown that has the prettiest dresses. I thought maybe you could get one for a fancy date with Bucky," Nat suggested.

"Yeah, not a bad idea. I'd like a new one for a special occasion too," I said.

"Always looking for ways to impress your fiancé," Carol stated. Heat flushed my face as the table grew silent.

"He's not my fiancé. We're still only boyfriend and girlfriend," I said.

"Really? I could have sworn you two were already engaged," she commented.

"No, I think you're confusing us with Tony and Pepper,"

"They're married already. I don't think anyone else is engaged or dating yet. Just you and Bucky are dating currently. Wanda, you haven't started seeing Vision, yet have you?" Wanda's face turned bright red as she shook her head.

"He's not your fiancé? Damn, I thought he had proposed. From the way you two act around each other, I thought the step had been made," Carol said.

"Not yet. I have a feeling he'll pop the question in a few days. Carol's right. You might as well already be engaged. It's pure love you two have," Nat stated. More heat flushed my face and I stuffed another fry in my mouth. We finished up and headed a few blocks away to the dress ship Natasha mentioned. I was blown away by all the fabrics and cuts of them and tried a few on.

In the end, I picked out a dark pink one that rippled to the floor, a slit that came up to mid-thigh. I also picked out a short blue one for another special occasion should it come up.

"Hey, check out these masks," Wanda stated. There were a bunch of them, ranging in all sorts of colors and styles. A golden one with lace and rhinestones caught my eyes. The gold ribbon to tie it on shimmered and beckoned me touch it.

"We have a winner," Wanda said.

"I don't know when I'd wear it," I stated, longing to run my fingers over it.

"Who know? Maybe we'll throw a masquerade for a banquet. Ooh, I know. How about you change into the pink dress and wear the mask. Surprise Bucky with how pretty they are. Render him speechless," Natasha said.

"You know. I might," We rode back to compound after Natasha got a text saying there was an emergency with the cleaning. Apparently, Tony couldn't figure out the best way to organize his desk and needed my help. When we got back, the compound was sark, setting off alarms in my mind.

"Maybe they blew a fuse," Carol said.

"You can't run the vacuum and the shampooer together. I should have warned them," I said. We entered and went to the lounge, the last place on the list to clean. As I was about to call out for the boys, the lights came on and all of them popped out and shouted:

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

I gawked at the set; the lights, the decorations. It was Phantom themed. Tears pricked my eyes and I glanced up at the top of the stairs where one of them stood. Where Bucky stood. The dark tuxedo he wore resembling the Phantom, the white mask perfectly formed to his face, accentuating his stormy blue eyes. Music started playing and he descended the stairs to me.

"Care to dance, sweetheart?" he asked, taking my hand and kissing it. I nodded and he brought me out to the middle of the dancefloor, starting a waltz. My attention was solely on him; I didn't notice the girls disappear to change or that Tony and Pepper joined us on the floor.

"This is why you had me go with the girls," I said, figuring out what he had been up to.

"I wanted to surprise you for your birthday. I had everything planned out perfectly," he stated.

"Thank you. It's lovely," I told him.

"I have something planned for us later. Just us. No one else," he whispered.

"I can't wait," Bucky leaned in to capture my lips. A gentle kiss, his arms holding me closer. I shared dances with Steve, Tony, Sam and all people Stephen Strange. Still, I came back to Bucky and cherished each moment. I was truly in love with him and refused to be parted from him.

We had cake and food, chatting away until, one by one, people started to retire for bed. By midnight it was only Bucky and me in the lounge.

"Let's go to our room. You have a final gift to open," he told me. I nodded and we went down the hallway hand-in-hand. He took a chance to twirl me, pulling a delighted laugh out of me. At our door, he pressed me up against it, leaning down to kiss me, both hands resting on the door on either side of me. He moved them my hips, circling them around me to lift me up. My legs wrapped around his waist as he opened the door, carrying me in. He kissed me again, sitting me down on the edge of the bed.

"One more present. Wait here," Bucky said. He walked over to the dresser and pulled something out of one of the drawers. A small teal bag, which he handed to me. I opened it, pulling out the tissue paper, my fingers brushing over a medium sized box. I unclasped the top and discovered a necklace with a small white mask pendant attached to it, a small rose with a black ribbon tied to it sticking through the eye hole.

"I had it custom made. I wanted it to resemble the mask in the musical. The rose was an additional part of it. What do you think?" he told me.

"It's beautiful. I love it. Help me put it on," I handed the necklace to Bucky. Turning so he could slip it around my neck, I lifted my hair up making it easier for it to rest against my skin. His fingers, cold and warm at the same time, brushed against my collarbone and neck; they lingered for a moment before I turned to face him, my hair cascading down my back.

"How does it look?" I asked.

"Perfect. Like you," His eyes flicked up to mine, making heat rush through me. My hands drifted up his arms, fingers tracing over each muscle before entwining in his hair. I pulled him to me, my lips pressed to his. He pulled me into his lap, my legs dangling off the bed. His hands tangled in my hair, moving to untie the mask. It fell on my dress, Bucky pausing to move it to the side. I untied his mask, repeating the same motion. Our lips melded together once again, out tongues gliding against one another.

One hand found the zipped of my dress and pulled it down, the straps slipping off my shoulders. He pulled those off, the silk fabric resting at my waist. I shifted back to take it off, settling back in his lap. I removed his jacket and bow tie. Slowly, I unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders, down his arms until it hit the floor. I let my hands roam over his defined chest, causing him to shiver. He slid me off his lap to remove his pants and tossed them to the floor as well as my dress to have it out of the way.

He moved towards me gently pushing my body against the sheets. He removed my underwear, leaving me bare to him. I took of his boxers, his cock springing forth.

We took our time, touching each other and kissing; it led to us fitting together like puzzle pieces, moving against each other slow and tender until we came, one at a time. It ended with me resting against his chest, the sheets draped over our hips, lower limbs tangled up.

"Happy birthday," he told me, kissing the top of my head. I snuggled closer and squeezed him tighter.

"Thank you. It was the best one I've had in a long time," I told him, drifting off to a pleasant dreamland. Unknown to us, a new enemy would cause trouble a few days later.


End file.
